Study examines home health care in medicare beneficiaries

According to an analysis published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, Medicare beneficiaries receiving home health services who are dually enrolled in Medicaid, live in a low-income neighborhood, or are Black tend to receive care from lower-quality home health agencies and have higher rates of hospital admissions and visits to the emergency department than other Medicare beneficiaries.

"Home health care may be an important area on which to focus clinical interventions to reduce disparities, particularly as the population ages and as needs for home care increase," said Dr. Karen Joynt Maddox, lead author of the study.

"Additionally, as Medicare rolls out its Home Health Value-Based Purchasing demonstration, it will be important to track outcomes for these vulnerable groups."