By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    improving patient experience
    6 Ways to Improve Patient Satisfaction Within Hospitals
    December 1, 2021
    degree for healthcare job
    What Are The Health Benefits Of Having A Degree?
    March 9, 2022
    custom software development is changing healthcare
    Digital Customer Journey Mapping and its Importance for Healthcare
    July 21, 2022
    Latest News
    Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
    May 16, 2025
    Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
    May 16, 2025
    Choosing the Right Supplement Manufacturer for Your Brand
    May 1, 2025
    Engineering Temporary Hospitals for Extreme Weather
    April 24, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Can Thinking Younger Make You Live Longer?
    April 20, 2011
    Image
    Obesity’s Outlook Unchanged
    June 13, 2011
    When It’s An Emergency Elderly Not Treated As Well in Hospitals
    July 16, 2011
    Latest News
    Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
    May 18, 2025
    The Critical Role of Healthcare in Personal Injury Recovery: A Comprehensive Guide for Victims
    May 14, 2025
    The Backbone of Successful Trials: Clinical Data Management
    April 28, 2025
    Advancing Your Healthcare Career through Education and Specialization
    April 16, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: 3 Major Challenges Facing Home Care Today
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Business > Finance > 3 Major Challenges Facing Home Care Today
FinanceHome Health

3 Major Challenges Facing Home Care Today

eCaring
Last updated: November 14, 2013 9:11 am
eCaring
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE

home careToday in the United States, over 12 million individuals receive home care services, accounting for a startling $72.2 billion in health care expenditures.

home careToday in the United States, over 12 million individuals receive home care services, accounting for a startling $72.2 billion in health care expenditures.

As the need for home health care grows alongside population aging, the need for a qualified workforce to serve older adults is increasing as well. Over one million home health aides serve America’s home care patients, a number projected to hit nearly 1.4 million by 2018.  

And it’s not only paid caregivers who are shouldering the burden. Today approximately 65.7 million individuals currently describe themselves as family or friend caregivers. This method of care delivery costs an annual $85.7 billion. While Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance cover a portion of the costs for a number of these individuals, many pay for these costly in-home services completely out of pocket.

More Read

vc investments in healthcare
VCs Are Investing Heavily in Healthcare
Collaboration, Consolidation Should Define 2014 for Health Tracking Wearables, Apps
5 Popular Diets to Consider in 2021
Is Medical Inflation Coming Back to Bite Us?
Engage Your Patients and Members Where They Are – Not Where You Wish They Were

Even for those who can afford in-home care or qualify to receive home health benefits, many challenges remain to the reception of quality care: 

  1. The Lack of a Continuum of Care – While it is estimated that 60% of people 65 and older need some type of long-term care, a full 90% of older adults live in their own homes and therefore spend most of their time away from inpatient settings or providers. New solutions are needed that bring affordable, continuous care to these populations when they are in their homes and away from their providers, so that they can follow best practices and plans of care in preserving their health as well as obtaining and using health care services.
  2. Preventable Events – Studies have shown that 64% of home health care recipients experience medication errors; similarly, falls cause 2.2 million injuries annually in adults over 65—over 18,000 of which are fatal—costing approximately $19 billion a year. The majority of these and other preventable events occur due to failure to attend to significant changes in health status, across clinical (e.g., weight,  pulse, blood pressure), behavioral (e.g., shortness of breath, swelling, chest pain), and medication adherence metrics.  It is estimated that improper care coordination costs an avoidable $25-$45 billion a year.
  3. Hospitalizations –  Unattended problems can lead to hospitalizations and readmissions, both of which are highly prevalent in the home health care patient community, signifying the failure of current monitoring practices. A study of home health care patients found that nearly 13% of participants had engaged in one or more emergent care services in the past 60 days, over 87% of which were hospital emergency room visits. Further, over one-fifth of participants reported one or more overnight hospital stays since they had begun receiving home health care services. Thirty-four percent of hospitalized Medicare beneficiaries are readmitted within 90 days, and 56% within one year. Thirteen percent of these readmissions are considered preventable, costing Medicare alone an annual $25 billion. Because of this, CMS has begun to penalize hospitals for failing to reduce preventable readmissions—in 2012, those penalties were nearly $300 million, a figure expected to triple over the following two years.

In your opinion, what other challenges do you think home health care is up against?

 

TAGGED:elderly carehome care
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Clinical Expertise
Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
Health care
May 18, 2025
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Health
May 15, 2025
Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
Health
May 15, 2025
Dr. Klaus Rentrop Shares Acute Myocardial Infarction heart treatment
Dr. Klaus Rentrop Shares Acute Myocardial Infarction
Cardiology
May 13, 2025

You Might also Like

It Pays to Be a Boy–and a Radiologist

July 5, 2012

Hoarding Worse As You Grow Older – Depression not OCD Partly to Blame

May 25, 2011

Great Recession Triggers Increase in Searches for Stress-Related Illnesses

January 14, 2014

Why Tablets Are the New Frontier for In-Home mHealth

April 1, 2014
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?