Recent Research from Blue Shield of California Highlight Findings in Managed Care (Cost and Utilization Implications of a Health Plan’s Home-based Palliative Care Program): Managed Care

2024 FEB 21 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Data detailed on Managed Care have been presented. According to news reporting from Oakland, California, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “A California-based health plan offered home-based palliative care (HBPC) to members who needed support at home but did not yet qualify for hospice. This study compares hospital and emergency department (ED) utilization and costs and mortality for individuals receiving HBPC to a cohort not receiving palliative care services (Usual Care).”

The news correspondents obtained a quote from the research from the Blue Shield of California, “This is an observational retrospective study using claims data covering a prestudy period and a study period during which time half of the study population received HBPC http://services.Setting/Subjects: Seriously ill individuals who received HBPC were matched with those receiving Usual Care using a propensity-based matching algorithm. Interdisciplinary teams from home health and hospice agencies provided HBPC services. Outcome measures included hospital and ED utilization and cost before and during the study period and mortality during the study period. For both groups, hospital and ED utilization and associated costs were higher during the prestudy period than during the study period. No differences were found in outcome measures between groups during the study period. Average time in the study period was longer for the HBPC group than that in the Usual Care group, indicating that they lived longer or transitioned to hospice later. Although individuals in both groups were living with serious illnesses for which worsening health and increased acute care utilization are expected over time, both groups had reduced acute care utilization and costs during the study period compared with the prestudy period.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Reduced utilization and costs were equivalent for both groups.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Cost and Utilization Implications of a Health Plan’s Home-based Palliative Care Program. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 2024. Journal of Palliative Medicine can be contacted at: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc, 140 Huguenot Street, 3RD Fl, New Rochelle, NY 10801, USA. (Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. - www.liebertpub.com; Journal of Palliative Medicine - http://www.liebertpub.com/overview/journal-of-palliative-medicine/41/)

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Jenelle Hallock, Blue Shield of California, 3300 Zinfandel Dr, Oakland, CA 95670, United States. Additional authors for this research include Kimberly A. Bower, Xiaoli Li, Tyler Kent and Liane Wardlow.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2023.0401. 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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