Briefly Noted
• Researchers at the State University of New York at Buffalo showed in a recent study that home care savings can be increased four fold using a combination of environmental interventions and durable medical devices. The study, the first randomized clinical trial to look at the cost-effectiveness of home interventions versus usual care services, involved 104 home care patients. People in the treatment branch of the study received a variety of assistive devices, such as wheelchairs, special scissors, and door handles. The patients spent more for assistive devices and home alterations, the study found, but the control group had higher expenditures for institutional care, maybe due to more falls in the home and a lower sense of personal responsibility for one’s health status. Patients in the control group also had higher utilization and costs associated with home nurse and case manager visits. The American Association of Retired Persons’ (Washington) Andrus Foundation said the study is important because with it, "we can really say that the difference in the treatment actually causes the effect that we saw."
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