Insurers have been hiring nurses as health coaches to reduce rehospitalization rates and save on overall hospital costs for chronically ill elderly patients, reports an Associated Press article. The nurses make sure that patients understand their prescriptions and guide them in taking a more active role in their care. A study published in the Sept. 25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine found that 8% of elderly patients assigned a coach following a hospitalization were readmitted after 30 days compared with 12% of those with no intervention. After six months, 9% of those with a coach were readmitted versus 14% of the control group. Hospital costs were $2,058 for those with a coach compared with $2,546 for those without at six months. CMS is also conducting a three-year demonstration project to provide coaching to 115,000 Medicare patients who have heart failure or diabetes after discharge from the hospital, with results expected next summer.
