Study Results from N. Connelly and Colleagues Broaden Understanding of Managed Care (Simply Delivered Meals: A Tale of Collaboration)

Insurance Weekly News

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Weekly News -- Data detailed on Managed Care have been presented. According to news reporting originating from Scarborough, Maine, by VerticalNews correspondents, research stated, "Western medicine is undergoing a transition toward transparency of quality and costs, and healthcare systems are striving to achieve the Triple Aim, a framework for improving the patient experience of care, improving the health of populations, and reducing the per capita cost of healthcare. Meanwhile, there is growing recognition of the impact of social determinants of health and a new federal requirement for nonprofit hospitals to implement prevention strategies."

Our news editors obtained a quote from the research, "A specialized meal delivery program called Simply Delivered for ME (SDM) was formed in an effort to improve care and reduce 30-day hospital readmission rates. The Maine Medical Center (MMC) partnered with the Southern Maine Agency on Aging to offer SDM on a voluntary basis to high-risk Medicare patients already enrolled in the Community-based Care Transition Program (CCTP) at MMC. We report the results of the 2-year intervention in terms of 30-day hospital readmission rates and cost measures (ie, return on investment and cost savings). Of the 622 MMC patients who received SDM during the 24 months, the 30-day readmission rate was 10.3% (compared with the 16.6% 30-day rate of hospital readmission at baseline [ie, before the adoption of CCTP]) for all-cause readmissions. The cost savings for reduced readmissions were $212,160. The return on investment was 387%, or a benefit-cost ratio of $3.87 for every $1.00 spent on meals."

According to the news editors, the research concluded: "Programs such as SDM may reduce the rate of hospital readmission among high-risk older adults and, thereby, yield lower healthcare costs."

For more information on this research see: Simply Delivered Meals: A Tale of Collaboration. American Journal of Managed Care, 2018;24(6):301-304. American Journal of Managed Care can be contacted at: Managed Care & Healthcare Communications Llc, 666 Plainsboro Rd, Ste 300, Plainsboro, NJ 08536, USA.

The news editors report that additional information may be obtained by contacting N. Connelly, Southern Maine Agcy Aging, Scarborough, ME 04074, United States. Additional authors for this research include S.L. Martin, C. Parsons and K. Blackstone.

Keywords for this news article include: Scarborough, Maine, United States, North and Central America, Managed Care, Investment and Finance, Hospitals.