Latest research projects are good news for growing field
Two new studies on care management show encouraging results regarding the effectiveness of case managers in improving patient outcomes and/or reducing costs.
The first study, released by elder-care solutions company Seniorlink and reported Oct. 26 in Healthcare Finance News, analyzed the data of nearly 2,000 Seniorlink patients in Massachusetts and Indiana, and compared it the national benchmark Medicare Current Beneficiaries Survey.
The study found patients with complex conditions who were supported by engaged family members and technology-enabled care managers “had significantly lower rates of inpatient hospitalizations, emergency room visits, and falls, resulting in healthcare costs savings,” the magazine said.
Effective case managers achieve cost savings
The reduced costs achieved in the Seniorlink group – if applied to a similar population of Medicaid beneficiaries – would result in a cost savings of roughly $2.8 million per 1,000 complex patients, the magazine reported. Read the full article here.
The second study, published in the Journal of Primate Care & Community Health and reported in the November 2017 issue of Managed Care magazine, found care managers in a primary care setting had a modest impact in helping people with diabetes better control their disease.
Care managers achieve better patient outcomes
According to the magazine, diabetic patients receiving care-management support showed a 12% advantage in improved blood-sugar control compared to the control group, and obese patients in the care management group had a 16 percent advantage in weight loss.
The most impressive results were in the before-and-after HbA1c results for patients in the care management group, the Managed Care article said. Before the intervention, 25% of patients had an HbA1c under 7 percent, but afterward that proportion increased to 45%. Read the article here.
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Comprehensive training and education in care management is available through Care Excellence, an interactive and engaging professional development program managed and operated by the CSU Institute for Palliative Care.
To see our full catalog of care management courses, click here.