A study of 15 programs in the Medicare Coordinated Care Demonstration, funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, showed that care coordination for chronically ill Medicare beneficiaries had no effect on the number of hospitalizations per patient in 13 of the 15 programs. None of the 15 programs generated net savings. The study results are reported in the Feb. 11 issue of JAMA.
The 15 demonstration programs varied significantly, but all of the programs assigned patients to a care coordinator, typically a registered nurse. The care coordinator assessed patient needs and developed patient care programs, which provided patient education and monitoring to improve adherence to treatment regimens and patient communication with physicians.
Although the study showed “underwhelming” results for care coordination, the article notes that results from two of the hospitals in the study suggest the potential for care coordination interventions to be cost-neutral and improve patients’ well-being.
Read the article.
