Oregon's end-of-life care far from norm

Oregon's end-of-life care far from norm | OregonLive.com: During the last six months of life, an Oregon resident dying of cancer, diabetes or heart disease is likely to spend seven days in the hospital, and receive about two days of intensive care. In New Jersey, the same patient could expect to be hospitalized more than 16 days and receive more than 6 days of intensive care.

Medical care at the end of life continues to vary drastically across the U.S. As far as researchers can tell, extreme use of hospitals and specialists in some regions doesn't improve survival or quality of life. On the contrary, some studies have found that less hospital care at the end of life gives patients more satisfying experiences, and suggest that many people continue to receive aggressive medical interventions that they don't want or need.

Editor: So, is it about lower cost or better care?