The COVID-19 virus should spur a new global payment system that unlocks the capabilities of home-based care for a wider range of patients, Humana (NYSE: HUM) executives argued in a new op-ed published Thursday. That payment system would encourage a greater use of home-based care services, allow more patients to be eligible for them and […]
JAMA
While home health care is often touted as a cost-effective way to reduce readmissions, skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) — though more expensive — might be better at keeping patients out of the hospital post-discharge. That’s according to a new article published in JAMA Internal Medicine, which shows readmission rates for patients discharged to home health […]
A large proportion of home health workers in the U.S. are immigrants, according to a new study compiled with census data. But stricter immigration policies proposed by the Trump administration could reduce the number of foreign-born health care workers and further fuel the nationwide caregiver shortage, some experts say. More than 23% of home health, […]
Americans are more often spending their final days at home or in other community-based settings instead of the hospital, a new study has found. Overall, the proportion of deaths that occur in acute-care hospitals has fallen to below 20%, according to a retrospective cohort study published last month in JAMA. That’s a steep drop compared […]
There has been a sharp spike in the number of seniors receiving in-home help, with the greatest increase among those paying for the services. Half of disabled seniors had some form of in-home help in 2012, which is up nearly 20% since 1998, according to a recent study published in the latest issue of JAMA by a […]
Most Americans want to remain in their homes throughout retirement, yet the one thing that most hope to achieve by aging in place may be taking a toll on mental and physical health: independence. Keeping seniors healthier—and happier—is a priority for health care agencies, but keeping seniors engaged and feeling healthy in the home setting […]