Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
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To determine the effect of age on hospital resource use for seriously ill adults, and to explore whether age-related differences in resource use are explained by patients' severity of illness and preferences for life-extending care. ⋯ Compared with similar younger patients, seriously ill older patients receive fewer invasive procedures and hospital care that is less resource-intensive and less costly. This preferential allocation of hospital services to younger patients is not based on differences in patients' severity of illness or general preferences for life-extending care.