Flu Outbreak Underscores Home Care’s Role

ARLINGTON, Va. — Last week the American Association
for Homecare noted the current flu outbreak is a reminder of
the key role that home care providers will likely play in
responding to an influenza pandemic.

Two years ago, the association participated in the development
of a report prepared by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, which
points out an expected shortage of health care professionals during
a pandemic could leave family and friends to care for flu-stricken
patients.

The AHRQ report, “Home
Health Care during an Influenza Pandemic: Issues and
Resources,” summarizes what home health care workers can expect
during a pandemic, noting they will be called on to provide care
for two main patient populations:

• Medical and surgical patients, not hospitalized because of the
  pandemic, who are well enough to be discharged early to free up
  hospital beds for more severely ill patients; and

• Patients who become or already are dependent on home health care
  services (predominantly elderly persons with chronic disease) and
  will continue to need in-home care during the influenza pandemic,
  whether or not they become infected with the flu virus.

According to a Friday report from the Los Angeles
Times, emergency facilities across the country are already
“straining at the seams” even though the current flu outbreak “is
relatively small and the federal government has launched a mammoth
disease-control effort.”

Of the nation’s confirmed H1N1 cases, relatively few have
required hospitalization. By contrast, the newspaper reported, HHS’
“moderate pandemic influenza model, based on the last flu pandemic
in 1968, envisions 90 million Americans becoming infected and
865,000 requiring hospitalization.”

“The nation’s infrastructure of home medical equipment providers
represents a critical piece of any front-line response to pandemic
flu,” said Tyler Wilson, AAHomecare president. On Thursday, the
association sent a survey to its members “to get an accurate
picture of what is occurring in the home medical community
nationwide with respect to preparations for emergencies.”

According to a message from the VGM Group, Waterloo, Iowa, this is a good time
for HME providers to remind members of Congress of the important
part HME providers play in taking care of home-based patients. “It
is important for congressional members to understand this,” the
message said. “Inform them that programs such as competitive
bidding would not be beneficial in times of a pandemic.”