Relationship of POLST to Hospitalization and ICU Care Among Nursing Home Residents in California

Background Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) document instructions for intensity of care based upon patient care preferences. POLST forms generally reflect patients’ wishes and dictate subsequent medical care, but it is not known how POLST use and content among nursing home residents is associated with inpatient utilization across a large population. Objective Evaluate the relationship between POLST use and content with hospital utilization among nursing home residents in California. Design Retrospective cohort study using the Minimum Data Set linked to California Section S (POLST documentation), the Medicare Beneficiary Summary File, and Medicare line item claims. Patients California nursing home residents with Medicare fee-for-service insurance, 2011–2016. Main Measures Hospitalization, days in the hospital, and days in the intensive care unit (ICU) after adjustment for resident and nursing home characteristics. Key Results The 1,112,834 residents had a completed and signed (valid) POLST containing orders for CPR with Full treatment 29.6% of resident-time (in person-years) and a DNR order with Selective treatment or Comfort care 27.1% of resident-time. Unsigned POLSTs accounted for 11.3% of resident-time. Residents experienced 14 hospitalizations and a mean of 120 hospital days and 37 ICU days per 100 person-years. Residents with a POLST indicating CPR Full treatment had utilization nearly identical to residents without a POLST. A gradient of decreased utilization was related to lower intensity of care orders. Compared to residents without a POLST, residents with a POLST indicating DNR Comfort care spent 56 fewer days in the hospital and 22 fewer days in the ICU per 100 person-years. Unsigned POLST had a weaker and less consistent relationship with hospital utilization. Conclusions Among California NH residents, there is a direct relationship between intensity of care preferences in POLST and hospital utilization. These findings emphasize the importance of a valid POLST capturing informed preferences for nursing home residents.