Findings from Lehigh Valley Health Network Has Provided New Data on Health and Social Care (Professional Agency Vs Consumer Directed Care Workers: Outcomes In Managed Care)

2021 AUG 20 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- New research on Health and Medicine - Health and Social Care is the subject of a report. According to news originating from Allentown, Pennsylvania, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “Direct care workers are a major part of the long-term services and supports (LTSS) needed to address the health of individuals and accounted for $112 billion in United States spending in 2015. Direct care workers are hired within professional agency models (PAMs) or consumer-directed models (CDMs) where workers (including family) are contracted by the individual to obtain services.”

Financial support for this research came from NIH National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS).

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from Lehigh Valley Health Network, “We sought to identify differences in cost and utilisation outcomes between PAM and CDM participants. Data were obtained from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Insurance Services Division from the participants enrolled in UPMC Community HealthChoices in Pennsylvania during 2018. A retrospective, observational cohort study design was performed using claims data. Utilisation outcomes were assessed using multivariate logistic regression and cost outcomes by linear regression. The 3,232 participants met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 69% (N = 2,217) were in a PAM, 23% (N = 752) were in a CDM, and 8% (N = 263) used a combination of services. PAM groups were older (mean 62.4 years vs 54.1 years), more likely to be women (69.0% vs 62.8%), and had more healthcare needs. Hospital utilisation was the same among groups. However, total cost was lower in CDM groups due to differences in LTSS costs between CDM and PAM services. Among dually eligible Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries receiving LTSS, there are significant differences in age, gender, race and health needs. While hospital utilisation was not different between groups, CDM groups had lower total costs of care compared to PAM.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “These findings have implications for families, policymakers and insurers in helping to govern community LTSS while supporting member autonomy.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Professional Agency Vs Consumer Directed Care Workers: Outcomes In Managed Care. Health & Social Care in the Community, 2021. Health & Social Care in the Community can be contacted at: Wiley, 111 River St, Hoboken 07030-5774, NJ, USA. (Wiley-Blackwell - http://www.wiley.com/; Health & Social Care in the Community - http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1365-2524)

The news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained from Clark A. Veet, Lehigh Valley Health Network, Allentown, PA 18103, United States. Additional authors for this research include Mary E. Winger and Suzanne M. Kinsky.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.13488. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

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