Rehospitalization Risk Among Veterans Receiving Home Health Services
Author Information
Author(s): McCreedy Ellen, Devone Frank, Gozalo Pedro, Gravenstein Stefan, Daus Marguerite, Jones Christine, Magid Kate, Thomas Kali
Primary Institution: Veterans’ Administration
Hypothesis
Are there differences in 90-day rehospitalization rates among Veterans receiving home health services paid by the VA versus those paid by Medicare Advantage?
Conclusion
Veterans receiving VA-paid home health services had a lower risk of rehospitalization compared to those receiving Medicare Advantage-paid services.
Supporting Evidence
- Veterans receiving VA-paid home health waited an average of 3.7 days to start services.
- Veterans receiving MA-paid home health waited an average of 4.8 days to start services.
- 60.4% of the studied Veterans received VA-paid home health services.
Takeaway
This study found that Veterans who got help at home paid for by the VA were less likely to go back to the hospital than those whose help was paid for by Medicare.
Methodology
Data were extracted from the VA electronic medical record, and Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate rehospitalization risk.
Potential Biases
Potential biases related to the selection of Veterans and differences in care quality between payor sources.
Limitations
The study may not account for all variables affecting rehospitalization risk.
Participant Demographics
Medicare-eligible Veterans receiving post-acute home health services.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.88
Confidence Interval
95% CI: 0.83, 0.93
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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