Impact of a care coordination and support strategic partnership on clinical outcomes.

A strategic partnership between a nursing care coordination telephone support program and a home healthcare agency was evaluated. The study was supported by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. According to the results, the partnership was a clinically effective service that proved satisfactory to family caregivers, improved the use of community services, and reduced inpatient use and costs without affecting mortality.

Effects of a program for coordinated care of advanced illness on patients, surrogates, and healthcare costs: a randomized trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the Advanced Illness Coordinated Care Program (AICCP), delivered by allied health personnel to improve care for patients coping with advanced illness and in need of preparation for end-of-life (EOL) care. STUDY DESIGN: Clinical trial involving 275 patients and 143 surrogates in 6 settings who were randomly assigned to the AICCP or usual care (UC). METHODS: The AICCP participants met with a care coordinator for assistance with provider communication, care coordination, and support. The AICCP was evaluated for effects on satisfaction with care, advance planning, consistency of care with patient preferences, and healthcare costs. RESULTS: The AICCP increased patient satisfaction with care and communication (P = .03), and AICCP surrogates reported fewer problems with provider support (P = .03). More AICCP than UC participants completed an advance directive (AD) (69.4% vs 48.4%; P = .006), and the AICCP group completed more ADs per participant (P = .01). Median time to AD documentation was 46 days for AICCP and 238 days for UC (P = .02). There was no difference in survival (AICCP 43% vs UC 42%). Six-month costs were lower with AICCP than with UC (12,123 US dollars vs 16,295 US dollars); however, the difference did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: The AICCP improved satisfaction with care and helped patients develop and revise more ADs, sooner, without affecting mortality. This program may be delivered in a range of managed care, fee-for-service, and group-model settings.

Effectiveness of care coordination and health counseling in advancing illness.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the Advanced Illness Coordinated Care Program (hereafter AICCP) for effects on health delivery among patients and caregivers, quality of life, advance planning, and health service utilization. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective trial involving 532 patients and 185 caregivers. AICCP consisted of care coordination, health counseling, and education delivered in cooperation with physicians. METHODS: Patients with advanced disease and their caregivers were assigned to AICCP or usual care (UC). Data sources included self-report, medical record review, and health plan databases. Statistical analyses used t test, chi(2) test, regression analysis, and analysis of variance. RESULTS: Compared with those in UC, AICCP participants had improved communication and care concerning symptoms (P = .02), support in understanding and coping with their illness (P = .01), advance planning (P <.001), support in managing family decision making (P = .002), and help in accessing spiritual support (P <.001). AICCP caregivers received more attention for emotional and spiritual needs (P = .02). AICCP participants were 2.23 times more likely to formulate an advance directive (P <.001) (5.5 months sooner [P <.001]) and were 1.26 times more likely to agree to a do-not-resuscitate or do-not-intubate order (P = .04). AICCP participants had on average 1.89 fewer inpatient admissions (P = .045). There was no difference in 1-year survival (P = .80). CONCLUSIONS: AICCP improved communication and care delivery, advance planning, and do-not-resuscitate or do-not-intubate orders in a population at risk to use them. AICCP had fewer admissions. Coordination and health counseling seem matched for those coping with advancing illness.

Diabetes preventive care and non-traumatic lower extremity amputation rates.

Clinical performance monitoring data on processes of care from a 3-year period were used to assess whether preventive foot care was associated with improved health outcomes in diabetes mellitus patients. Preventive foot care as well as sensory and pedal-pulse examinations were associated with reduced rates of Lower extremity amputation. It is believed that an administrative focus, resource direction, and improvement in process monitoring will lead to better patient outcomes. External review measures can be used by administrators and cLinicians to determine trends in quality of care and patient outcomes andto provide feedback on prevention efforts.