Pharmacist home visits reduce hospital readmissions
Patients with chronic diseases who received a home visit in HealthPartners’ pilot MTM program reduced readmissions within the first year. Find out how.
A pilot program that provides home visits from a pharmacist reduced the number of preventable hospital readmissions for frail elderly patients, according to a
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Started as a pilot in 2014, the medication therapy management (MTM) home visit program focuses on patients with serious, chronic illnesses, who take multiple medications and are unable to leave their homes. Patients participating in the program are visited by a clinical pharmacist within a week after leaving
During the visit, the pharmacist reviews medications, helps the patient understand how to take medications as prescribed and evaluates whether there are any safety risks in the home. Patients are not charged for the visits.
In 2016, HealthPartners is expanding this program by partnering with Ramsey County paramedics to provide MTM home visits to patients with heart failure.
Before the pilot program, Regions Hospital readmission rates were at national averages. With the goal of continued reduction in readmissions, HealthPartners piloted a new program in 2014 aimed at providing additional services to home bound dual-eligible Medicare/Medicaid patients due to their higher-than-average hospital readmissions.
Among patients who received a home visit in the first year, 6% were readmitted to Regions Hospital within 30-days after a hospital stay compared to 16% readmission for patients who chose not to receive the MTM home visits, according to Dan Rehrauer, HealthPartners senior manager, medication therapy management.
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HealthPartners intends to complete a more robust analysis, including effects on total cost of care with more data becoming available as the program continues. The health plan has been committed to decreasing hospital readmissions since 2009, with the implementation of programs that reduced overall 30-day readmissions at Regions Hospital from 11.5 to 9.7% over 4 years.
Rehraurer
“Taking the step to reduce hospital admissions builds on the core values of HealthPartners by improving patient experience and health as affordably as possible,” says Rehrauer.
In 2011, there were approximately 3.3 million hospital readmissions in the United States, contributing to $41.3 billion in healthcare costs, according to the
“Hospital readmission penalties from the ACA [Affordable Care Act] continue to affect thousands of hospitals across the United States each year, with 2,592 hospitals in 2015 receiving financial penalties for higher than benchmark readmission rates,” says Rehrauer. “Regions is not included in the 2,592 hospitals. There is a clear incentive for hospitals to actively reduce readmissions.”
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