- Double Mastectomy May Offer No Survival Benefit to Women With Breast Cancer
- Toxic Lead Found in Cinnamon Product, FDA Says
- Certain Abbott Blood Sugar Monitors May Give Incorrect Readings
- Athletes Can Expect High Ozone, Pollen Counts for Paris Olympics
- Fake Oxycontin Pills Widespread and Potentially Deadly: Report
- Shingles Vaccine Could Lower Dementia Risk
- Your Odds for Accidental Gun Death Rise Greatly in Certain States
- Kids From Poorer Families Less Likely to Survive Cancer
- Tough Workouts Won’t Trigger Cardiac Arrest in Folks With Long QT Syndrome
- At-Home Colon Cancer Test Can Save Lives
Coordinated Care Helps Elderly With Chronic Diseases
![](https://ladylively.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/doctors6-300x336.jpg)
Seniors with chronic diseases often see multiple doctors in separate locations, and poor patient-physician communication is common. Now, a new study finds coordinated care reduces the risk of complications and hospital costs.
Researchers looked at data from nearly 300,000 Medicare patients with type 2 diabetes, congestive heart failure or emphysema. Their analysis revealed that even slight improvements in the coordination of care for these patients led to significant reductions in hospital admissions and the use of emergency departments, fewer complications and lower health care costs.
The findings, published online March 17 in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, suggest that better coordination of care for patients with these diseases could save Medicare up to $1.5 billion a year, said the researchers at RAND Corporation, a nonprofit research organization.
“Improving the coordination of care for patients with chronic illnesses can be difficult to achieve, but our findings suggest that it can have benefits for both patients and the health care system,” said study lead author Peter Hussey, a senior policy researcher at RAND.
Care was considered better coordinated if patients saw fewer health providers or if medical visits were concentrated among fewer providers.
“Our results suggest the potential importance of care continuity and underscore the potential benefits that can be achieved through programs that improve coordination,” Hussey added in a RAND news release. “As health care delivery and payment programs evolve,” he said, it’s important to “measure whether these reforms improve continuity and reduce health care costs.”
More information
The AGS Foundation for Health in Aging offers advice for seniors with multiple health problems.
Source: HealthDay
Copyright © 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.