Home health agencies are more likely to experience hospital readmissions compared to skilled-nursing facilities, but their lower service costs still make them a cheaper post-acute care option, according to a new analysis, writes Modern Healthcare.
The study, published this week in JAMA Internal Medicine by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, found that Medicare patients discharged to home health had a 5.6% higher 30-day readmission rate compared with patients sent to a skilled-nursing facility, or SNF. Despite that, the authors noted home health saved Medicare $4,514 on average in the 60 days after the first hospital admission because their services cost marginally less than SNFs.
Read more:
- Modern Healthcare: https://www.modernhealthcare.com/care-delivery/home-health-saves-medicare-money-despite-higher-readmissions
- Patient Outcomes After Hospital Discharge to Home With Home Health Care vs to a Skilled Nursing Facility. JAMA Internal Medicine. March 11, 2019