Outcomes of the Maryland Person-Centered Hospital Discharge Program: a pilot targeting decreasing long-term care use and hospital readmissions.

The Person-Centered Hospital Discharge Program (PCHDP) was offered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as a way to improve care to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries in Maryland. The PCHDP used a care nurse/coordinator to facilitate the successful transition of patients at risk for becoming eligible for Medicaid. The purpose of this study was to examine the outcomes of the PCHDP pilot, explore factors that influenced hospital and long-term care admissions following hospital discharge, and obtain operational data to develop new programs with related objectives. Area Agencies on Aging were provided with a care coordinator who obtained patient data, developed an individualized care plan, and determined visit frequency and length of services. Multivariate analysis of variance was conducted to examine differences between those hospitalized or admitted to a skilled nursing facility during the follow-up period. The sample consisted of 359 at-risk patients, and the mean length of follow-up was approximately two months. Most patients did not go to the emergency room (N = 319, 88%) during the period of follow-up and were not admitted to an acute care setting (N = 301, 84%) or skilled nursing home (N = 322, 86%). Those who were rehospitalized were slightly younger and had more visits from the care coordinator. We anticipate that the care coordinators identified individuals at greatest need for follow-up and support. Future research should explore ways in which these care coordinators can intervene to prevent hospital readmission and long-term nursing home care.