Hospice-Palliative Medicine as a Model of Value-Based Healthcare

Abstract

Advances in medical technology have increased people’s lifespans, and evidence-based medicine that utilizes health technology assessments has contributed significantly to medical development. Owing to the ever-increasing costs of medical services, cost-effectiveness analysis has been adopted to ensure the efficient use of limited healthcare resources. However, problems that cannot be solved through medical technology alone have emerged because of the aging of the global population. When faced with a choice providing life-sustaining treatment to a terminally ill patient or offering them comfortable end-of-life care in a hospice, value-based choice takes precedence over technical judgment