Home Health & Hospice Week

A new study presented at the May 15 American Heart Association Quality of Care & Outcomes Research Scientific Sessions backs up what home care providers have been saying for years — home care helps reduce hospital readmissions.

The specifics: Heart attack survivors who receive home health care were 11 percent less likely to be readmitted to a hospital within 30 days of their initial discharge, compared to those not receiving home care, says the study authored by University of Michigan Medical School professor and hospitalist Muhammad Adil Sheikh.

“Only a small percentage of patients receive home health care after a heart attack,” particularly when they are younger, the AHA notes in a release about the study.“Using home health care after discharge for heart attack patients can reduce health care costs for patients and medical systems,” Sheikh urges in the release.“This service should be utilized more often to potentially reduce hospital readmission rates.”