Denise Coppa1, Suzy Barcelos Winchester1, Mary B Roberts2. 1. Graduate Program, College of Nursing, University of Rhode Island, Providence, RI. 2. Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, Center for Primary Care and Prevention, Pawtucket, RI.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The purpose of this pilot study was to describe the impact of one aspect of an academic-clinical partnership that showed how assigning nurse practitioner faculty to deliver home-based primary care services to clinically complex patients would decrease rehospitalizations and emergency department visit rates. METHODS: Rehospitalizations and emergency department visits of a cohort of 82 patients were recorded from April 15, 2016 to August 25, 2016 and compared with the same cohort during the two pre-home care inception periods (6 months and 1 year) using insurance claims-based data. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with the 1-year pre-home care inception period, there was a decrease of 23.7% in emergency department visits and 34.9% decrease in rehospitalizations after the implementation of the home-based primary care program and a decrease of 35.6% in emergency department visits and 59.4% decrease in rehospitalizations compared with 6 months of pre-home care inception. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Allowing nurse practitioners with full practice authority to deliver home-based primary health care services to homebound, chronically ill, recently discharged, and/or disabled patients can decrease costs and promote optimum health care in this population. In addition, these programs provide valuable learning experiences for nurse practitioner students and their preceptors.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The purpose of this pilot study was to describe the impact of one aspect of an academic-clinical partnership that showed how assigning nurse practitioner faculty to deliver home-based primary care services to clinically complex patients would decrease rehospitalizations and emergency department visit rates. METHODS: Rehospitalizations and emergency department visits of a cohort of 82 patients were recorded from April 15, 2016 to August 25, 2016 and compared with the same cohort during the two pre-home care inception periods (6 months and 1 year) using insurance claims-based data. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with the 1-year pre-home care inception period, there was a decrease of 23.7% in emergency department visits and 34.9% decrease in rehospitalizations after the implementation of the home-based primary care program and a decrease of 35.6% in emergency department visits and 59.4% decrease in rehospitalizations compared with 6 months of pre-home care inception. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Allowing nurse practitioners with full practice authority to deliver home-based primary health care services to homebound, chronically ill, recently discharged, and/or disabled patients can decrease costs and promote optimum health care in this population. In addition, these programs provide valuable learning experiences for nurse practitioner students and their preceptors.