Home Care = Improved Health Outcomes, Less Cost & Increased Patient Satisfaction

Home Is Best™ – the philosophy states that home, not hospital or residential care, is the best place to recover from an illness or injury, manage long-term conditions and live out our final days.  Although Home is Best was pioneered by Fraser Health, similar philosophies are being adopted across Canada.

Ensuring that clients can access the right care, at the right time, in the right place, with the right provider, is critical to achieving the best client outcomes and improved quality of life.  Targeted populations included adults with chronic or complex health conditions, and the frail elderly.  Through the integration of primary care, and home & community care, seniors, who have been telling health care providers they want to stay in their homes as long as possible, are provided with the services and tools to realize their goals. 

This approach to care in the home has resulted in reductions in the time it takes a client to access community services; shorter lengths of stay in hospital; and reduced emergency room visits. Furthermore, health care clinicians are more satisfied and more effective as this new approach encourages professionals to practice to their full-scope to meet the needs of clients.  A model tested in one community in Fraser Health in 2007/08 showed a 33% decrease in ER visits, a 61% decrease in hospitalizations, and increased client satisfaction.

The goal is to improve the outcomes of clients who have long-term health conditions that impact their functional well-being. In so doing, emergency room visits and hospital admissions are avoided; and hospital stays, for those requiring the expertise of the acute care team, shortened. Ultimately people will be able to live at home longer, with improved quality of life.

To date, the early results are very promising. Practitioners and clients are reporting more productive, meaningful relationships and interactions. They report feeling more secure in the care that is provided.

• Improved population health by improving the health outcomes of each individual.     
• Improved patient/provider experience through the realization of effective access and navigation of the community-based health care system.
• System sustainability as evidenced by reduced per capita costs for target populations; reduced emergency room visits and decreased hospital length of stay.

Home is familiar and is the best place for most individuals to age in place, manage or recover from illness, or receive palliative care.  Any decisions regarding a change in living circumstances can be made from the normalcy of the home setting and during a period of wellness and stable health.

As Home Care is being implemented as the preferred method of care delivery for clients with chronic health challenges in Europe and North America, the results speak for themselves:

• Improved clinical outcomes
• Improved physical and emotional well being
• Improved client satisfaction
• Increased client autonomy
• Increased mobility 
• Faster client recovery and healing
• Fewer visits to the Emergency Department
• Fewer re-admissions to Acute Care
• Decreased length of stay in hospital
• More flexibility in care delivery options 
• Decreased infections
• Decreased incontinence
• Decreased delirium
• Decreased functional decline 
• Decreased health care needs
• Decreased client fears & anxiety
• Decreased stress on the extended family 
• Decreased caregiver burnout
• Decreased congestion in Acute Care
• Decreased cost

Home is the best place to manage chronic health conditions!

FOOTNOTES:

http://www.cdnhomecare.ca

http://www.fraserhealth.ca

http://www.bcbudget.gov.bc.ca/2011/sp/pdf/ministry/hlth.pdf

Ministry of Health. Health Service Plan 2010/11 – 2012 /13. British Columbia

Foley, Linda. (2010) Developing an Integrated Primary & Community Care System. Presentation at 2010 CHCA Home Care Summit. Quebec City

Evaluation of Physician Care Partnership. Fraser Health

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVVEN0Rpx64