Hospital house calls: A way to cut costs and improve quality?

Feb 6 2013

Meanwhile, a group of experts convened by the National Quality Forum has released its second annual round of recommendations on quality measures to be used in federal health programs.

The Wall Street Journal: Hospitals Try House Calls To Cut Costs, Admissions
To keep patients out of the hospital, health care providers are bringing back revamped versions of a time-honored practice: the house call. In addition to a growing number of doctors treating frail patients at home, insurers and health systems are sending teams of doctors, nurses, physician assistants and pharmacists into homes to monitor patients, administer treatments, ensure medications are being taken properly and assess risks for everything from falling in the shower to family care-giver burnout (Landro, 2/4).

Modern Healthcare: NQF Panel Weighs In On Quality Measures
The Measure Applications Partnership, a group of health care experts convened by the National Quality Forum to provide pre-rulemaking guidance to HHS, has released its second annual round of recommendations on quality measures for use in federal health programs. The MAP reviewed more than 500 measures currently under consideration by HHS for 20 federal programs, according to NQF. One hundred forty-one of those measures were green-lighted for immediate use. The MAP supported the direction of another 166 measures -- including measures of early elective deliveries and shared decisionmaking for neurosurgery patients -- pending more testing or NQF endorsement. The group did not support 165 measures for HHS programs and it also recommended phased removal of 64 measures, such as one for coordination of care for melanoma patients (McKinney, 2/4).

Also in the news, NPR takes a look at how baby boomers are aging --

NPR: Aging Poorly: Another Act Of Baby Boomer Rebellion
Baby boomers have a reputation for being addicted to exercise and obsessed with eating well. But that story didn't jibe with what physician Dana E. King and his colleagues see walking through the door of their family practice every day in Morgantown, W.Va. (Stein, 2/4).