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.
