M.M.S. Study on Home Health Care from a Doctor's Viewpoint

A recent research collaboration between the Massachusetts Medical Society and Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts found that doctors supported the benefits of home health care, but found that there were problems within the medical system for wide spread referrals.

From a randomized sample of 3,000 Massachusetts licensed doctors, there were 248 responses from 12 specialties. Over half of the responses were from primary care physicians.

The majority agreed that these services allowed them to better manage their patients’ care, prevented emergency room visits, and reduced family stress.

Around half of the doctors said that paperwork, payment, and access problems interfered with home health services for their patients. Half stated that they had to keep patients in the hospital for a longer period simply because there was difficulty finding home health services.

I would like to thank The Boston Globe for providing much of the information. You can read their article here.

North Carolina Nurses Educate Legistlators About Effects of Medicaid Cuts

The state senate has recently approved a $55 million dollar budget cut to the Medicaid Personal Care Services (PCS) program. More than 36,000 elderly and children with mental/physical disabilities in North Carolina rely on these services as a part of their daily lives.

The North Carolina Association for Home and Hospice Care (AHHC) and its 900 agency membership have made efforts to educate the state legislators and communities about the devastating effects. The team points out a significant economic loss if the state forces many of these elderly patients into nursing homes, where care costs can nearly quadruple.

Boomers May Face Bankruptcy and Long-Term Care Collapse

Check out a related article, posted on Private Duty Today, that explains more.