Home based medical care for the frail elderly reduces Medicare costs by 17% -
MedStar Washington Hospital Center geriatricians found that when care medical for the frail elderly with advanced disease changes at home, total Medicare costs were reduced by 17 percent over a two year period. A new study published in the Journal of American Geriatrics Society (JAGS) emphasizes the value of primary care at home for aging seniors of America.
K. Eric De Jonge, MD, co-founder of the Medical House Call Program at Hospital and colleagues conducted the study which compared the health insurance costs and the survival of 722 patients enrolled in medical practice hospital House Call, to a control group of patients selected from 2161 data from Medicare claims. The study analyzed the total costs, mortality, admissions patterns in hospitals and types of doctor visits. It concluded that primary care home to an average of $ 8,477 per patient for two years.
The study also revealed that there were nine percent fewer hospitalizations, 20 percent fewer visits to emergency services, 27 percent less stays nursing facility qualified and specialist visits 23 percent less. The data showed high mortality rates were similar in both groups.
"Because this group of patients is the most expensive in the medical system, even fractional savings can make a significant dent in the cost of health care," said Dr. De Jonge. "This study confirms home medical care is an effective model and cost of care for the elderly at high risk. "
After recognizing the health problems of former patients encountered in the community, MedStar Washington Hospital Center created the Medical house call program in 1999. interdisciplinary team of physicians and nurse practitioners provide 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on-call telephone coverage, and make frequent visits to patients at home and follow in the hospital. social workers coordinate psychosocial services and support. clinicians are emerging even emergency home visits, to prevent avoidable hospitalizations and other costly complications.
The study results suggest that it is useful to implement this call model home nationwide. The hospital is one of 18 national sites that are part of an ongoing Medicare demonstration program called Independence at Home (IAH), which is probing the impact of call home teams on patient care and the costs. If successful, IAH overall savings would share with the teams. The results of the study confirm the need to expand primary care home and the IAH concept in the United States.
"Promoting health and dignity of elders by helping them to stay in their home is hard work, but we can extend these services, if the payment system supports the growth of these mobile teams care, "said de Jonge.
EmoticonEmoticon