Like many health systems, Danville, Pennsylvania-based Geisinger cares for a large population of older patients with complex needs. Many of these vulnerable patients are home-bound and struggle with food insecurity, social isolation, lack of transportation and other difficulties. This limits their access to essential care and contributes to alarming increases in their overall cost of care.
Geisinger’s Home Care Program Is Cutting Costs and Improving Outcomes
Geisinger at Home moves comprehensive care upstream and into patients’ homes. Working closely with patients’ primary care physicians, a team of doctors, nurses, dieticians, case managers, pharmacists, mobile paramedics and other support staff bring care to frail, medically complex patients where they live. Unlike hospital-at-home models, which typically provide episodic care for three to five days, ours is longitudinal, starting with a comprehensive in-home assessment and care plan, coordinating with primary care and providing ongoing clinical services as needed. The results have been dramatic: For the more than 5,000 enrolled patients Geisinger has seen a 35% drop in emergency department visits, a 40% drop in hospital admissions, and an average annual reduction in spending per patient of almost $8,000.