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Telehealth Intervention Programs for Seniors: An Observational Study of a Community-Embedded Health Monitoring Initiative.
- Source :
-
Telemedicine journal and e-health : the official journal of the American Telemedicine Association [Telemed J E Health] 2020 Apr; Vol. 26 (4), pp. 438-445. Date of Electronic Publication: 2019 Apr 17. - Publication Year :
- 2020
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Abstract
- Background: Chronic disease in older adults is estimated to account for 84% of annual health care spending in the United States, with many preventable costs expected to rise as the population continues to age. Introduction: Telehealth Intervention Programs for Seniors (TIPS) is a community-embedded program targeting low-income older adults, providing weekly assessment of vital signs and subjective wellness, and wrap-around aging services. Materials and Methods: TIPS recruited 765 volunteers over 55 years, who were Medicaid and/or Medicare eligible. Data were collected from 2014 to 2016 [median enrollment 343 days (105-435)] using 12 TIPS sites. This observational study evaluated the efficacy of TIPS by measuring within-subject changes in self-reported hospital visits and <30-day readmissions, before and during TIPS participation. Data of 617 participants (median age 74.3; interquartile range 16) were analyzed. Results: Self-reported hospital visits were reduced by 28.9% ( p = 0.0013). Medicare participants benefited the most, with a 50% ( p < 0.0001) reduction in hospital visits, and a 75.5% ( p = 0.017) reduction in <30-day readmissions. Multivariate analysis revealed that participants (1) Medicaid-registered (odds ratio [OR] = 2.72, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.392-1.611), (2) reporting feeling unwell (OR = 1.33, 95% CI 0.118-0.459), and (3) living alone (OR = 2.34, 95% CI 0.115-1.592) were significantly more likely than other participants to experience a hospital visit. Discussion: TIPS demonstrates that community-embedded health services can reduce rates of hospital visits in older adults. Conclusion: The success of TIPS highlights the potential of successfully deployed remote patient-monitoring initiatives in reducing the utilization of costly health services.
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1556-3669
- Volume :
- 26
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Telemedicine journal and e-health : the official journal of the American Telemedicine Association
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 30994409
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1089/tmj.2018.0248