About 4 million patients need home-based medical care because they are frail, functionally limited, and homebound. New research finds out just how much are the home-based medical care providers geographically concentrated or spread out.
About 4 million patients need home-based medical care because they are frail, functionally limited, and home bound. Simply put, they are not healthy enough to step out of their houses for medical attention. New research finds out just how much are the home-based medical care providers geographically concentrated or spread out.
It was found that roughly only 5000 primary care providers are responsible for a major chunk of home visits to Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries in 2013. Most importantly, most homebound people live more than 30 miles away from these high-volume providers.
Nengliang Yao, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, in Charlottesville, led the study with fellow researchers. The findings are published in Health Affairs.
Home-Based Medical Visits
Using Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data for 2012 and 2013, the study measured home-based medical visits. The total home visits, average number of home visits, total Medicare payments, and average payments were calculated.
Primary care providers, such as physicians in internal medicine, family practice, geriatric medicine, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants, were identified as “high-volume providers.” These accounted for two-thirds of the providers of home-based medical care. In 2012 and 2013, they provided roughly 1.7 million (70%) of total home-based medical visits.
The distribution of these primary care providers was even more worrying. The study found that more than 53% of homebound patients lived in areas that were at least 30 miles away from the nearest high-volume medical provider.
Other noteworthy observations were as follows:
Need for Better Distribution
“These data suggest a strong mismatch between the medical needs of homebound older adults and the ability of the medical system to provide care for them where they need to be served,” the authors wrote.
The nation’s demand for home-based medical care will only grow with the aging population. And currently, a large portion of vulnerable Americans are not being catered to well, resulting in large expenditures because of hospitalizations and visits to the emergency department. By better distribution of home-based medical care, the healthcare system can drastically bring down costs and provide better care.
“Home-based medical care has the potential to address healthcare challenges that result from an aging population with an increasing burden of complex chronic diseases,” the authors wrote. “However, the shortage and maldistribution of the workforce for home-based medical care constitute a continuing challenge to realizing the potential of that care.”
What We’re Reading: RSV Vaccine Demand; Permanent Contraception; Drug Negotiation Impact
December 8th 2023The Biden administration recently met with manufacturers of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) immunizations to encourage them to increase access to the vaccine; since the Dobbs v Jackson decision, many patients have been seeking more permanent reproductive health care solutions; a Mathematica analysis showed that Medicare prescription drug price negotiations could have cut seniors’ out-of-pocket costs by nearly a quarter had the program been in effect in 2021.
Read More
Oncology Onward: A Conversation With Thyme Care CEO and Cofounder Robin Shah
October 2nd 2023Robin Shah, CEO of Thyme Care, which he founded in 2020 with Bobby Green, MD, president and chief medical officer, joins hosts Emeline Aviki, MD, MBA, and Stephen Schleicher, MD, MBA, to discuss his evolution as an entrepreneur in oncology care innovation and his goal of positively changing how patients experience the cancer system.
Listen
Data analysis showed that 40% of patients who filled a prescription for Wegovy in 2021 or 2022 were still taking it a year later; both Democrats and reproductive rights organizations are pressuring the Biden administration to ensure health insurers fully cover contraception; CMS implemented Medicare changes in March that limited access to blood tests that help transplant recipients ensure their organs remain healthy.
Read More
Oncology Onward: A Conversation With Dr Debra Patt of Texas Oncology
August 1st 2023Debra Patt, MD, PhD, MBA, joins hosts Emeline Aviki, MD, MBA, and Stephen Schleicher, MD, MBA, for episode 2 of our newest podcast, "Oncology Onward: Conversations With Innovators and Changemakers in Cancer Care."
Listen