Administrative Outcomes Five Years after Opening an Acute Palliative Care Unit at a Comprehensive Cancer Center.

"Purpose:.....In keeping with targets set at the unit's opening, our primary hypotheses were that outpatient admissions, admissions for symptom control, and discharges home would increase over the study period; secondary hypotheses were that length of stay and inpatient death rate would decrease.....Results: There were 1748 admissions during the study period: the median age was 64, 54% were women, and the most common cancer sites were gastrointestinal (24%), lung (20%), and gynecologic (13%)....Conclusion: Setting and adhering to administrative targets for an APCU is possible with appropriate admission criteria, adequate community resources, and education of patients, families and health professionals regarding the model of care."