scholarly journals Hospitalization Rates Related to Coordinated Home Health Care Services With a Community Oncology Practice

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. e1045-e1049
Author(s):  
John F. Sandbach ◽  
John Bachelor ◽  
Kimberly Larson ◽  
Denize Jordan ◽  
Janet Mullins ◽  
...  

PURPOSE: Oncology care reimbursement has been shifting from a traditional fee-for-service model to either 1- or 2-sided risk models during the past 5 years. A major expense associated with the total cost of care is hospitalization cost. The study set out to investigate whether the creation of an Advanced Community Care Model (ACCM) of home health care would affect 60-day hospitalization and 30-rehospitalization rates in a community oncology setting. METHODS: In conjunction with a single home health care organization, an ACCM was modified for oncology care to include intervention protocols to address antiemetic issues, pain control, dehydration, shortness of breath, diarrhea, and fever. Weekly and monthly joint management meetings began. Quality metrics were defined. RESULTS: Overall, 457 unique home health care admissions were evaluated. Hospitalization associated with intervention protocols was evaluated. Sixty-day hospitalization rates decreased from 14% to 8%. Thirty-day rehospitalization rates decreased from 25% to 10%. CONCLUSION: An oncology ACCM, as created in this study, appears to have reduced both 60-day hospitalization and 30-day rehospitalization rates.

Author(s):  
Jamie M. Smith ◽  
Haiqun Lin ◽  
Charlotte Thomas-Hawkins ◽  
Jennifer Tsui ◽  
Olga F. Jarrín

Older adults with diabetes are at elevated risk of complications following hospitalization. Home health care services mitigate the risk of adverse events and facilitate a safe transition home. In the United States, when home health care services are prescribed, federal guidelines require they begin within two days of hospital discharge. This study examined the association between timing of home health care initiation and 30-day rehospitalization outcomes in a cohort of 786,734 Medicare beneficiaries following a diabetes-related index hospitalization admission during 2015. Of these patients, 26.6% were discharged to home health care. To evaluate the association between timing of home health care initiation and 30-day rehospitalizations, multivariate logistic regression models including patient demographics, clinical and geographic variables, and neighborhood socioeconomic variables were used. Inverse probability-weighted propensity scores were incorporated into the analysis to account for potential confounding between the timing of home health care initiation and the outcome in the cohort. Compared to the patients who received home health care within the recommended first two days, the patients who received delayed services (3–7 days after discharge) had higher odds of rehospitalization (OR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.25–1.32). Among the patients who received late services (8–14 days after discharge), the odds of rehospitalization were four times greater than among the patients receiving services within two days (OR, 4.12; 95% CI, 3.97–4.28). Timely initiation of home health care following diabetes-related hospitalizations is one strategy to improve outcomes.


1993 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela J. Salsberry ◽  
Jennie T. Nickel ◽  
Muriel O'Connell ◽  
Nancy R. Reynolds ◽  
Diana L. Brady ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 205-222
Author(s):  
Patrick Hirsch

Summary Home health care (HHC) services are faced with a rising demand in Austria. This is due to an increased life expectancy, changing family structures, and the trend to grow old at home. The percentage of their working time that is spent by the HHC staff for travelling from one client to the next one reaches 30% and even more in some rural areas. Changing the assignment of HHC staff to clients and the sequence of visits can lead to major reductions in the travel distances, and therefore, to more sustainable solutions. The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview on the logistical planning of HHC services in Austria. In order to meet the future requirements, it is important to analyze different mobility concepts for the HHC staff and to provide tailored solution approaches for routing and scheduling. The reader learns about the current HHC situation in Austria, the logistical requirements for planning these services, possible mobility concepts for the HHC staff, and potential threats for HHC operations. The developed solution methods are presented in brief and the main findings are highlighted and discussed. The paper concludes with an outlook on potential future research paths in HHC routing and scheduling.


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