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Symposium

Social Research, Policy, and Practice

Home Health Care Access and Outcomes Among Vulnerable Older Populations: Challenges and Opportunities

Saturday, November 16, 2024
5:30 PM – 7:00 PM PST
Location: Room 609
CE: 1.5

Home health care (HHC) provides skilled nursing (e.g., wound care, medication management), therapies (e.g., physical, occupational, speech), and aide services (e.g. bathing, grooming, dressing), which are key supports necessary to regain function, restore health, and maintain independence in the community. This panel presents five studies examining factors that challenge equitable access and high quality outcomes associated with skilled HHC among vulnerable older populations (i.e., Veterans, people living with dementia, patients needing post-acute care). The first panelist will discuss findings using national-level HHC quality data demonstrating that access to high-quality HHC varies widely across the country for people with dementia. The second panelist will share findings from a novel data linkage using Medicare Advantage (MA) and traditional Medicare claims to understand variation in use of HHC among people living with dementia. The third panelist’s presentation will focus on a particularly vulnerable population - hospitalized older Veterans - and how payer source shapes the use of post-acute HHC. The fourth panelist will discuss results from a qualitative study with MA plans about how they design and manage post-acute HHC benefits. The final presenter will share results from an analysis of national standardized HHC assessment data to identify failures in information transfer that impact care delivery and quality for HHC patients living with dementia. The discussant, a national industry leader with over two decades of experience working in the delivery of HHC, will contextualize findings and discuss how they can inform national policy discussions around improving access and quality of HHC.

Learning Objectives:

  • Describe how geography and payer source impacts the utilization of skilled home health care.
  • Compare features of Medicare Advantage and traditional Medicare that enable and challenge access to skilled home health care.
  • Explain how disruptions in information transfer can negatively impact care delivery and patient outcomes.

Presentations:

  • 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM PST
    Access to High-Quality Home Health Care for Persons With Dementia
  • 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM PST
    Who Pays for Veterans' Postacute Skilled Home Health Care? A Comparison Among VA, Medicare, and Medicare Advantage

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Marguerite Daus, PhD, RN (she/her/hers) – Department of Veterans Affairs

  • 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM PST
    Home Health Use by Older Adults With Dementia: Comparing Medicare Advantage and Traditional Medicare

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Jamie M. Smith, PhD, RN (she/her/hers) – Widener University

  • 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM PST
    Characterizing Medicare Advantage Approaches to Providing Postacute Home Health

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Emily Gadbois, PhD (she/her/hers) – Brown University

  • 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM PST
    Missing Dementia Diagnosis Information During Home Health: Prevalence and Impacts

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Julia G. Burgdorf, PhD (she/her/hers) – VNS Health