As America continues to grapple with exploding health care costs, Congress and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid have placed a renewed emphasis on eliminating avoidable hospital readmissions. According to a press release from Home Care Assistance, these readmissions are typically caused by insufficient post-hospitalization care, failure to adhere to medication or therapy regimens and lack of support and supervision for recently discharged patients. According to the Medicare Payment Advisory Committee, almost one in five Medicare patients will be readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge. These hospital readmissions cost over $15 billion dollars per year and are a source of tremendous anxiety for patients and their families.
Home Care Assistance, a leading provider of in-home care, announced a nationwide partnership with leading medical institutions to reduce avoidable hospital readmissions by providing patients and their families with the resources and education they need to effectively plan for discharge and post-hospitalization recovery.
"The hospitalization and discharge experience can be harrowing for families who are suddenly thrust into caregiving roles they aren't fully prepared for," said Lily Sarafan, company president. "Our Hospital to Home Care program arms families with the resources they need to make an informed decision and effectively plan for their loved ones' rehabilitation at home. We have also developed a proprietary training model that teaches our caregivers to promote the lifestyle behaviors that facilitate a safe recovery at home."
According to Home Care Assistance, they are in a unique position to combat avoidable hospital readmissions. Combining years of home care case studies with leading medical research, they have developed an impactful suite of educational resources for hospitalized patients. The suite is anchored by From Hospital to Home Care, a comprehensive book on the hospital discharge and recovery process written by co-founders Dr. Kathy Johnson, Dr. James Johnson and Lily Sarafan. The book provides a comprehensive overview of the challenges and resources associated with each step in the transition from hospital to the home, explains the discharge process from an inpatient hospital stay, outlines common issues associated with specific medical conditions, discusses the unique needs of recently hospitalized patients and emphasizes the importance of home care in patient outcomes and quality of life.
They are also unveiling HospitaltoHomeCare.com, a free online resource for families seeking information about the discharge process and recovery at home. Consumers can browse the educational content available on the site and download the free What is Home Care and Hospital to Home Care guides, as well as their comprehensive discharge planning checklist.
"Hospital readmissions are not only detrimental to a patient's mental and physical health and expensive, but they can result in hospital penalization," said Dr. David B. Carr. "Readmissions may be the result of inadequate support and supervision following the patient's discharge orders upon returning home. Having a structured, professional Hospital to Home program like the one offered by Home Care Assistance promises benefits to the patient and the hospital by working in conjunction with the patient's medical team to ensure discharge orders are followed and intervention occurs before a readmission is necessary."
For more information, call 525-8886
Business on 09/08/2014