Research indicates that 20% of
Medicare patients are readmitted to the hospital within a month of discharge,
and that repeat hospital stays costs billions of dollars a year. The study from the New England Journal of
Medicine, April 2009, found that approximately 20% of 11.9 million patients
were readmitted to the hospital within a month of discharge and as many as a third
were back in the hospital within three months. These unplanned return visits were estimated to
cost $17.4 billion of the $102.6 billion that Medicare paid to hospitals in
2004. It has become such a problem that
it is receiving attention from the Obama administration and hospital executives
and health care leaders around the nation.
Eric Coleman, MD, from the University
of Colorado in Denver, explains that many patients have an unrealistic view of
how things will be once they get home. However,
the truth is problems can start quickly as patients (especially the elderly) may
become confused about how to take their medicine and/or run into other problems. This is the point where they head back to the
hospital as they do not know where else to turn.
Getting the proper home care services once
a patient is discharged can help to prevent many of these problems and improve
transitional care for the patient. For someone
living alone, studies show the need for home care is even higher as they have a
50 percent chance of readmission when compared to those living with
others. Home care is a low-cost
alternative and can act as a link between health care providers as well as an
effective way to detect problems earlier.
Home care agencies provide a wide
range of services to help ensure a speedy recovery at home. Services include things such as personal care
assistance, medication reminders and transportation to follow-up doctor
appointments as well as light housekeeping and meal preparations. Contact SYNERGY Homecare to learn more about
our compassionate, professional Recovery Assistance services.
*Our post is for information purposes
only and not a substitute for seeking medical advice.
At
SYNERGY HomeCare, we are one of the most trusted names in home care in Colorado
serving the front range since 2006. We have grown to 5 offices and will be
adding 2 more locations in 2015 and our successful growth can be summarized by
one word, "Service". Our mission is to ensure that every
client is treated with the upmost respect and dignity, and we strive to
incorporate those beliefs into all of our home health care services. We are
available 24/7 to listen to your unique story and provide you answers to all
your questions.
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