More than 7 million Americans receive care in their homes each year at a cost of more than $36 billion (1999). Home health care services are delivered at home to patients who are recovering from care in hospitals or nursing homes; patients who are disabled; the frail elderly; and chronically or terminally ill persons in need of medical, nursing, or therapeutic treatment as well as assistance with the essential activities of daily living. As in all areas of health care, the quality of care provided is of concern to consumers, purchasers, providers and others. Limited information is available, however, to support quality-based decisions regarding home health care by patients and their families. Publicly reported measures of performance that allow comparisons among providers are becoming available for other settings of care, such as nursing homes and hospitals. Information about the quality of home health services will fill an important gap in information that is available for consumers regarding quality across the continuum of health care delivery services.
This project will:
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has provided funding for this project.
For more information, contact Ellen T. Kurtzman, RN, MPH, at 202.783.1300 or info@qualityforum.org.