The days when a physician guided a patient through all manner of health care minutiae are gone, but medical providers can help patients help themselves by using one-on-one coaches during the discharge and after-care process, says Edie Castello, vice president and COO of eQ Health Solutions. Speaking at Monday’s Baton Rouge Press Club gathering, Castello says a regional pilot program reduced hospital readmissions for Medicare patients treated for pneumonia, congestive heart failure and heart attacks through “care transitions” coaching. From March through October, 145 patients participated in the program, and seven were re-hospitalized. That rate of less than 5% contrasts with an overall rehospitalization rate of 18.86% in the Capital Region and 19.05% in the state, Castello says. Patients in the program had not been assigned home health care.
eQ Health Solutions, formerly Louisiana Health Care Review, rebranded in August to reflect the company’s operations in Illinois and Mississippi and helps Medicare and Medicaid programs reduce costs. Castello says if the pilot program was replicated nationwide, it could save Medicare $12 billion annually from rehospitalizing. The company hopes to expand to Florida and possibly elsewhere, while the local pilot program is ongoing through fall 2011. Paul Murphree, medical director of quality and patient safety for program participant Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, says ensuring that patients understand their medication and are engaged in their own healing process can require subtle psychology, such as reminding patients how important it is to get to their grandchildren’s graduation by taking proper care of themselves.—Todd R. Brown
