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Title: |
Can post-acute care programmes for older people reduce overall costs in the health system? A case study using the Australian Transition Care Programme. |
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Reference: |
Health and Social Care in the Community, 20(1), January 2012, pp.97-102. |
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ISSN paper: |
0966-0410 |
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ISSN online: |
1365-2524 |
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Abstract: |
Community-based post-acute care discharge services for older people have been developed as a method of reducing length of stay in hospital and preventing readmissions in order to reduce pressure and costs in the hospital system. This article considers whether they reduce overall episode cost or expenditure in the health system at a more general level. It uses the Australian Transition Care Programme (TCP) as a case study. The TCP provides flexible care to older patients at the conclusion of a hospital episode including home help, personal care, and rehabilitation. An economic model was developed to identify the maximum potential benefits and the likely cost savings for participants of TCP from the reduced use of health services from earlier discharge from hospital, accelerated recovery, reduced likelihood of readmission to hospital and delayed entry into permanent institutional care. The findings show that, even assuming the best case scenario, the TCP is still unlikely to be cost saving to the healthcare system. Further research is needed to determine if the service can be demonstrated to offer additional health benefits such as quality of life which would make it cost-effective when compared with other community healthcare programmes. |
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Format: |
article; |
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Topics: |
community health care; cost effectiveness; evaluation; older people; patient discharge; transitional services; |
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www.scie-socialcareonline.org.uk/profile.asp?guid=2bfe32c5-3a88-4a68-b794-f9d017b19ee0 |
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