More Elderly Receiving Care at Home, Rather Than in Nursing Homes, Hospices

The Washington Post on Tuesday as part of a special section on "aging well" examined the increased number of elderly patients who receive in-home care rather than more expensive care at nursing homes or hospices. Some elderly patients participate in private house call programs, which send nurses, social workers or geriatricians to their homes to provide care and receive support through private donations and Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements. Under the Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly, which is available in 18 states, medical institutions agree to provide care and social services in the homes of patients or at day care or institutional facilities. Medicare beneficiaries who qualify for nursing home care under Medicaid qualify for PACE, and medical institutions that participate in the program receive Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements. In addition, Medicare this fall will test several forms of in-home care through six demonstration projects in selected communities nationwide. Under the demonstration projects, 15,000 Medicare beneficiaries in Texas, California and Florida will have access to in-home care from physicians as part of an effort to "improve care while reducing expensive emergency room visits and hospital admissions," the Post reports. Medicare beneficiaries in Oregon, Washington and some parts of New York will receive computers through which they can transmit blood pressure measurements and other information to clinicians, who will decide which patients require care (Graham, Washington Post, 8/2).