Case Studies
Multiple studies have validated the cost savings and population health benefits associated with Home-Based Primary Care.
This New York City visiting doctors program, in operation for more than 15 years, allows for aging in place by providing in-home health care and chronic disease management for 1,100 elders. The program consistently demonstrates success, including:
- 66% reduction in hospitalizations
This house call program has been providing chronic disease management and advanced illness management for high-cost elders in the Bronx area of New York City for more than five years. For its roster of 400 patients, outcomes include:
- 42% reduction in hospitalizations
- 33% reduction in total costs
This house call program provides home-based medical care services and chronic disease management for an active roster of more than 700 Washington, DC-area patients, each with three or more chronic diseases. Data from the program has evidenced:
- Better patient care
- More primary care visits (house calls), more home health and more hospice
- 25% reduction in hospital length of stay
- 75% reduction in end-of-life hospitalizations
As compared to 2,161 matched controls, the program generated:
- 17% lower Medicare costs, which resulted in $8,477 savings per beneficiary
- 9% reduction in hospitalizations
- 10% reduction in ED visits
- 27% decrease in skilled nursing home days
Two-year savings came to $6.1 million.
Reference: De Jonge, E., Jamshed, N., Gilden, D., Kubisiak, J., Bruce, S., & Taler, G. (2014). Effects of Home-Based Primary Care on Medicare Costs in High-Risk Elders. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 1825-1831.
A study of patients with congestive heart failure discharged from the hospital and receiving transitional care via nurse practitioner house calls found:
- 50% reduction in 90 day readmissions
- 50% reduction in costs
Reference: Naylor, M., Brooten, D., Campbell, R., Maislin, G., McCauley , K., & Schwartz, J. (2004). Transitional Care of Older Adults Hospitalized with Heart Failure: A Randomized, Controlled Trial. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 675-684.
Launched in 1972, this house call program currently serves 30,000 veterans. The program has generated significant cost savings and reduction in resource utilization, including:
- 24% total cost savings, including 63% hospital cost savings and 87% nursing home cost savings (2002 data)
- 63% hospital cost savings
- 87% nursing home cost savings
- Total savings over $103 million
- 59% reduction in hospital days, 89% reduction in nursing home days and 21% reduction in 30-day readmissions (2006 data)Patients dually enrolled in VA and Medicare demonstrated additional benefits:
Patients dually enrolled in VA and Medicare demonstrated additional benefits:
- 4% total cost savings, including
- 7% VA cost savings and
- 8% Medicare cost savings
- $9,132 overall savings per veteran across 11,334 veterans served
- 25% reduction in hospitalizations
- Highest patient satisfaction of any VA program
Reference: Edes, T., Kinosian, B., Vukovic, N., Nichols, L., Becker, M., & Hossain, M. (2014). Better Access, Quality, and Cost for Clinically Complex Veterans with Home-Based Primary Care. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 1954-1964.