Home medical equipment receipt in a home care appropriate population.
OBJECTIVE
This study examines home medical equipment (HME) receipt for 1,040 veterans considered appropriate for home health services.


METHODS
HME receipt was monitored for 12 months using the Department of Veterans Affairs' Prosthetics database.


RESULTS
Eighty-three percent received at least one item; averaging 7.4 items (SD = 6.8).  The most common items included commodes/bath benches (9%), canes/walkers (7%), safety equipment (7%), liquid oxygen (6%), and wheelchairs (6%).  Two functional status variables, home care use and race, correctly classified 69% of HME recipients.  Logistic regressions were run for specific equipment; c-indices ranged from .64 to .75.  Age, race, income, functional status, risk of hospital readmission, and home care use were significant predictors.


CONCLUSIONS
HME accounted for $4.5 billion in sales (16% of total) for medical products in 1996.  As the HME market continues to expand, the characteristics of HME recipients are necessary to project future HME needs in a growing, elderly population.
Weaver
F M
FM
Midwest Center for Health Services and Policy Research, Northwestern University
Giobbie-Hurder
A G
AG
Hughes
S L
SL
Smith
G
G
Kubal
J D
JD
Ulasevich
A
A
D004864:Equipment and Supplies; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006304:Health Status; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States; D014728:Veterans