Interim HealthCare's "Living with Heart Failure at Home" Program Designed to Improve Patient Health, Reduce Hospital Readmissions

Sunrise, Fla. - A new study released on May 11 by Avalere Health, a leading advisory company focused on healthcare business strategy and public policy, found that care delivered in an in-home setting for Medicare patients with diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or congestive heart failure is effective in reducing both costs and hospital readmissions. Interim Health Care (IHC), the nation's largest and oldest combined home health care and medical staffing provider, is taking action with its "Living with Heart Failure at Home" program, specifically designed to optimize patient health and decrease the likelihood of a too-soon return to the hospital.

The new study concludes that Medicare patients with the most common chronic conditions who received home healthcare services within three months of being discharged from a hospital had 24,000 fewer re-hospitalizations and cost the Medicare system $1.71 billion less than similar patients who received other forms of post-acute care over a two-year period.

"IHC's 'Living with Heart Failure at Home' program is designed to educate, equip and empower patients to manage their conditions at home, while helping hospitals and physicians reduce hospital readmission rates, which are rampant for individuals with heart failure," said Kathleen Gilmartin, CEO of IHC.

"Delivering care for chronic conditions in home works - and makes perfect sense," said Barbara McCann, IHC's Chief Clinical Officer. "We're meeting patients where they are, identifying and eliminating many risk factors that can't be seen during an office visit. We're spending one-on-one time with patients, in their homes - monitoring lifestyles, eating and exercise habits, and showing people how to take charge of their conditions to feel and function as well as possible."

As the new study demonstrates, hospital readmissions for chronic conditions such as heart failure are costing the Medicare system billions of dollars that could be saved. In addition, new Medicare reporting requirements for readmission of patients with heart failure are set to go into effect this fall.

Hospitals will be required to report readmissions for heart failure patients beginning this fall under a new measure for payment determination by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Hospitals and physicians who do not report this data will be paid less than those who do. The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) estimated that readmissions cost the program $15 billion each year, and that potentially $12 billion - or four of every $5 dollars in cost - is preventable.

A study in the April 2 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine reported that 1 in 5 Medicare patients in 2003-04 were readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of being discharged, accounting for $17.4 billion paid by Medicare to hospitals. Heart failure is one of the most common, deadly and costly reasons for hospitalization, according to the American Heart Association. An estimated 5.7 million Americans are living with the condition, and 670,000 new cases are diagnosed each year.

While Medicare reimbursement for post-acute care for a patient with heart failure is standardized based on certain patient criteria, IHC's "Living with Heart Failure at Home" best practice calls for the company's franchises to place multidisciplinary providers in the home when needed and to use in-home technology whenever appropriate to objectively monitor patients' vital signs and optimize clinical outcomes.

The reason for the program is two-fold. "First and foremost, it's the right thing to do for patients," Gilmartin said. "This is a system where everyone wins - patients receive care and remain in their preferred, home setting, and we're helping providers improve post-acute outcomes."

McCann said she hopes the system will one day go a step further. "There is a tremendous opportunity to reach the millions of Americans with chronic conditions earlier - those who don't yet qualify for home care but whose health could be greatly improved before they reach the advanced stages of heart failure. We have the potential to save and extend lives, and keep people healthy as long as possible by giving them the tools and support they need to be successful."

Founded in 1966, Interim HealthCare is the nation's oldest proprietary national organization providing health care personnel at all skill levels in all settings. Through a comprehensive network of more than 300 offices, Interim HealthCare is the largest combined provider of community-based home care (skilled and non-medical) and health care staffing. Interim HealthCare is unique in combining the commitment of local ownership with the support of a national organization that develops innovative programs and quality standards that improve the delivery of service through more than 75,000 health care workers who serve 50,000 people each day. For more information or to locate an Interim HealthCare office, visit www.interimhealthcare.com.

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