Newswise — Chicago, IL (August 10, 2016): The American Academy of Home Care Medicine (AAHCM) is pleased that Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced the exceptionally good news: The Independence at Home (IAH) Medicare Demonstration practices continued to improve care and lower costs in Year 2 of its second performance year.

IAH, an AAHCM legislative initiative, provides home based primary care to elders with severe chronic illness and disability. The interdisciplinary teams provide better clinical care and patient experience, while also reducing total Medicare costs.

CMS reported that IAH practices saved over $10 million during the second performance year – an average of $1,010 per participating beneficiary – while delivering high quality care in the home. According to CMS analysis, all 15 practices, which served more than 10,000 Medicare beneficiaries, improved quality from the first performance year in at least two of the six quality measures for the Demonstration.

Patients enrolled in the IAH Demonstration avoid preventable emergency room visits and hospitalizations, and stay in their homes longer than similar beneficiaries who are not in the Demonstration. IAH results and published data show the benefits of IAH model of care, including:

• Fewer hospital readmissions within 30 days; • Follow-up contact from their provider within 48 hours of a hospital admission, hospital discharge, or emergency department visit; • Medication checks by a provider within 48 hours of discharge from the hospital; • Documentation of advance care preferences; and • Less use of inpatient hospital and emergency department services for conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, pneumonia, or urinary tract infection.

While 7 of 15 IAH practices achieved savings, every IAH practice contributed to the success of the IAH Demonstration, and all believe they will show continued high quality results when the Year 3 results are released. AAHCM congratulates all of the practices for their hard work in this Demonstration.

With the introduction of the Independence at Home Act (S.3130) in July, 2016, AAHCM and the many supporting organizations of S.3130 are advocating for conversion of Independence At Home into a national Medicare program.

AAHCM

The American Academy of Home Care Medicine is the leading national professional organization for those providing home care medicine services. For further information about the Academy, see www.aahcm.org.

AAHCM is a professional organization serving the needs of thousands of physicians and related professionals and agencies interested in improving care of patients in the home. AAHCM delivers on the promise of interdisciplinary, high value health care in the home for all people in need by promoting the art, science and practice of home care medicine. The AAHCM membership is comprised of physicians, medical directors, nurse practitioners, physician’s assistants, registered nurses, social workers, practice administrators, and residents/students working in the field of home care medicine.

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Journal Link: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society J Am Geriatr Soc, 62(10), 1825-1831. doi:10.1111/jgs.12974 Journal Link: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society J Am Geriatr Soc, 62(10), 1954-1961. doi:10.1111/jgs.13030