WASHINGTON, DC – May 11, 2009 – Early use of home health care services
following a hospital stay by patients with at least one chronic disease saved
Medicare $1.71 billion in the two-year 2005-2006 period, according to a study
released today by Avalere Health LLC. The study, sponsored by the Alliance
for Home Health Quality and Innovation (AHHQI), also found that an additional
$1.77 billion would have been saved in the same period if all Medicare
beneficiaries with similar chronic diseases had accessed home health care
services. Approximately 12.7 % of the savings is attributable to
reductions in hospital readmissions, and it is presumed that the remaining
savings accrue from avoiding more costly institutional settings. AHHQI
believes that the unrealized savings identified in this study could allow
Medicare to save $31.1 billion over the next ten years by expanding access to
home health for chronic disease patients.
The Avalere study, begun in October 2008, analyzed 2005 and 2006 data from the
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the most current data
available from the agency, and examined the impact that home health care had on
overall Medicare costs and rates of re-hospitalization. In addition to the dramatic
cost savings, the study also found that patients who received home health care
soon after hospital discharge were significantly less likely to be
re-hospitalized, providing even more savings to the Medicare system. The study
population included Medicare beneficiaries with a primary or secondary
diagnosis of diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or
congestive heart failure (CHF) – chronic medical conditions that represent
large costs to the Medicare system.
Significantly, 86% of people who qualify for Medicare have at least one chronic
condition and 40% have three or more. But only 8.9% of Medicare
beneficiaries currently use home health services, a fact attributed in large
part to the program’s requirement that an individual be “homebound” and unable
to leave the home without significant assistance in order to receive the
benefit. AHHQI believes that expanding the availability of home health care
services for people with chronic conditions within Medicare would yield even
greater savings to our health care system.
“Thousands of physicians like me rely heavily on skilled home care
professionals to assist in caring for some of our most fragile and
medically-complex patients, and I have seen first-hand the valuable role that
home health care plays in patients’ recovery and rehabilitation,” said Rodney
Hornbake, MD, FACP and an advisor to AHHQI. “This research study shows that
home health care not only benefits patients, but also saves taxpayers billions
of dollars by avoiding more costly institutional settings and preventing many
patients from being re-hospitalized.”
Leading home health care providers committed to sponsoring research to raise
the level of shared innovation and higher quality outcomes that home health
care can bring to chronic, acute and prevention-based health care initiatives
formed AHHQI in 2008. AHHQI has pledged to drive quality home health care
through clinical excellence, innovative practices, strong compliance standards
and raising awareness of the role that home health care can play by educating
policy makers and the public.
Today’s home health industry provides a crucial link in the health care
continuum for some of the country’s most vulnerable patients, including
millions of seniors who rely on Medicare, at a time when our nation’s leaders
are grappling with daunting health care challenges. AHHQI will continue to
sponsor research with leading institutions like Avalere to provide decision
makers and the public with measurable data that can inform the important healthcare
policy discussions that are happening in Washington, DC and across the country.
Home health care is patient-preferred, and the Avalere study clearly shows that
it is also cost-efficient, demonstrating that home health care should play a
prominent role in any future healthcare reform.
In recent years, home health care providers have developed leading-edge models
in care coordination, prescription management, disease management and
behavioral education for patients. They have pioneered innovative and
cost-effective uses of technology and therapeutics to deliver high quality,
patient-centered, well-coordinated care across the health care delivery system,
helping millions of Americans to live independently at home.
Click here
to view the full results of the Avalere Health study. AHHQI also invites the
public to visit its website at www.ahhqi.org
to learn more about home health care, to receive updates on AHHQI’s work, and
to share stories about experiences with home health care in your community.
Aspen
Health Care Services, headquartered in Lewisville Texas, was founded in 2006
and is emerging as a leading regional provider of home health services.
With the exceptions of hospice and home infusion therapy, the constellation of
services provided by ASPEN includes nursing, physical and occupational therapy,
speech therapy, medical social services, and personal assistance services.
Aspen's
revenues are generated from Medicare and Medicaid billings, private
(commercial) insurers, and individual clients. For more information, visit
Aspen's web site, http://www.AspenCares.com.
Home health Lewisville Texas Aspen
Health Care Services 972-316-2035
Home health Dallas Texas Aspen
Health Care Services 972-316-2035
Home health Denton Texas Aspen Health Care Services 972-316-2035