Report: Interest Grows for Health Care at Home
HARTFORD, Conn., (November 12, 2020)—A new report by CareCentrix finds a majority of people are ready to open their doors to health care at home, and nearly all payers agree that health at home is often more cost effective than treatment in a facility. Payers, providers, policymakers, and people who need care are all open to more care delivery in the home. The COVID-19 pandemic and new remote care delivery technologies have accelerated the shift to health at home—for preventive care, routine care at home for younger consumers, and aging, recovery and palliative care and services for older adults.
“The message is clear: health plans and consumers want more health care delivered at home, but they need the partners, policies, data, and technologies that help them get there,” said CareCentrix CEO John Driscoll. “At CareCentrix, we’re building the connective tissue that can accelerate the delivery of care in the home while keeping the doctor informed, the plan engaged, and the patient empowered.”
The report, titled “Health-at-Home 2020: The New Standard of Care Delivery,” includes provider and policymaker perspectives and finds people want at-home options for a variety of services, including physical therapy, sleep testing and treatment, mental health support, and chronic disease management. Nearly half of respondents (46%) had a telehealth visit in the last year, and the vast majority of this group (82%) would use telehealth again. Two out of three people who have not used telehealth would be interested in using it for a future health care need. Interest in home health is consistent among older patients, and 74% of seniors express interest in future telehealth appointments.
A consumer survey of 1,000 U.S. adults, conducted by Quadrant Strategies from September 22 through October 2, 2020, indicates significant momentum for home health options. Among the consumer survey highlights:
- 72% of all respondents prefer to recover at home versus a medical facility following a major medical event.
- 69% are interested in regular, at-home check-ins with doctors.
- 63% would prefer getting treatment at home over going to a doctor’s office or medical facility.
- 62% cite ‘comfort’ as the top appeal of receiving health care at home, more than the 51% who say staying away from public places during the COVID-19 pandemic is a top reason for health care at home.
KRC Research completed a separate online survey of 76 health plan executives, from October 7-19, 2020. As the insurance landscape shifts from fee-for-service care to payment models that reward value, health plans note increasing interest in at-home health services.
- 97% of payer respondents agree the trend toward moving health care to the home is in the best interest of insurers and members alike.
- 95% agree treating members at home is often more cost effective in the long-term than treating in a facility.
- 95% say supportive care and coaching at home can extend the reach of the primary care provider to monitor people and provide better care.
- About half of payers (48%) have already increased the availability of at-home health care options for members where possible, and about 1 in 3 (36%) are in the process of increasing at home care options.
- Consistent with consumer attitudes toward homecare, 80% of payers say the ability to lower overall costs by shifting from pure network management to value-based provider contracting has encouraged the movement of more care to the home. This trend, coupled with innovative technologies, will increase the adoption of at-home health delivery.
“There’s a fair amount of technology that didn’t exist 10 to 15 years ago that is available now, and I expect it will continue to develop,” said Leslie Norwalk, who served in the George W. Bush Administration as the Acting Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. “As our technology gets better, you should be able to do more and more at home. The more of that you can do in a setting that’s the patient’s home, the better.”
As the health care landscape evolves, CareCentrix, a leader in health-at-home solutions, is bending the cost curve and supporting people with a variety of at-home services, including Post-acute Care, Home Health, Home DME, Home Infusion, Home Sleep services, and Palliative Illness Management. CareCentrix allows people to focus on health at home, the best setting to address the unique clinical, social and caregiver needs of each individual.
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