Black Medicare Patients See Fewer Home Health Care Referrals

Wolters Kluwer Health Waltham — December 7, 2023 —  At discharge from the hospital, Black Medicare beneficiaries are less likely to be referred for home health care (HHC), compared to white patients reports a survey study in Medical Care. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer. The disparity in referral for HHC among Black Medicare patients appears greatest among those with low “readiness for discharge” scores, according to the new research, led by Olga Yakusheva, PhD, of University of Michigan School of Nursing and School of Public Health. Does race affect decisions about home health visits for Medicare patients? Home health care is an important option for older adults being discharged from the hospital. Home health visits provide essential continuity of care to reduce the risks of adverse outcomes and readmissions. Previous studies have suggested that patients from racial and ethnic minority groups are less likely to receive HHC. The researchers examined how nurse assessments of patients’ readiness for discharge affects referral to HHC services for patients of different racial and ethnic minority groups. The study included data on 14,684 Medicare beneficiaries discharged from US hospitals, drawn from a previous clinical trial. For each patient, nurses...