Bill Cook Online

The cost savings and treatment benefits of homecare are being increasingly recognized by providers, payors, and government agencies. Research conducted by Johns Hopkins Medicine and published in the December 2005 “Annals of Internal Medicine” found that providing acute, hospital-level care to the elderly in their own homes resulted in comparable or better treatment outcomes, higher patient satisfaction, and lower costs than traditional hospitalization for serious illness. The research found that patients in the homecare setting had shorter recovery times, required fewer interventions, and experienced fewer complications.

Treatment costs for the homecare patient averaged $5,801 vs. $7,480 for hospitalized patients. This is just one of the many examples of the growing awareness and acceptance of homecare.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the number of Americans age 65 and over to climb 74% to 62.6 million over the next 25 years. As the population ages, the demand for nurses, as well as the acceptance and utilization of home care will continue to grow.