The average total cost of care provided to patients at-home instead of in the hospital was 38% less costly, according to a recent study in the Annals of Internal Medicine that sought to compare costs and outcomes of hospital-level care provided at home and in the hospital, writes Healthcare Dive. Home patients were readmitted less frequently within a 30-day period. On average, 7% of the home patients were readmitted within 30 days compared to the 23% who were treated in the hospital. Home patients were also less sedentary and had fewer lab and imaging orders. However, the researchers caution the sample size of the study was small, including 91 adults (43 home patients and 48 control patients, or those who were admitted to the traditional hospital). That may limit whether the findings can be extended to the population at large.
Read more:
- Healthcare Dive: https://www.healthcaredive.com/news/at-home-hospital-care-costs-less-uses-fewer-tests-annals-study-finds/569265/
- Hospital-Level Care at Home for Acutely Ill Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Annals of Internal Medicine. 17 December 2019