Report questions ethics of home health referrals.
Elkhart (IN) General Hospital has made its home health agency an integral partner in the success of its open heart surgery program, using home health as a vehicle to help prevent infections and resulting hospital readmissions. The open heart surgery pathway tracks patients from surgery to recovery, post-op care to home health, and then to outpatient cardiac rehabilitation. It was developed in cooperation with the hospital's home health agency and makes provisions for four home care visits. While non-affiliated home health agencies can't be compelled to use the hospital's pathway, case managers at Elkhart have shared the path with representatives from these agencies and explained to them that it represents the hospital's standard of care.
D003363:Cost Control; D004991:Ethics, Institutional; D018575:Home Care Services, Hospital-Based / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006278:Medicare; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards*; D014481:United States