Home Based Care Transitions Tailored by Cognition and Patient Activation: A Prudent Use of Transitional Care Resources

One in five Medicare patients discharged from the hospital experience readmission within 30 days. Too often, hospital readmissions result from inadequate transition from hospital to home at discharge. Care transitions are complicated because of high patient acuity, multiple comorbidities, decreased length of stay, and multiple clinician involvement increasing the number of handoffs. With decreased length of stay, many patients do not comprehend or feel confident with instructions for discharge, thus management of their chronic illnesses are difficult. Most formal care transition programs are standardized and every patient receives similar strategies or interventions. However, it has been well documented that patients with cognitive problems and decreased activation are at high risk for re-hospitalization related to impaired self-management. We believe that assessment of cognition and patient activation during the patient's hospitalization will provide valuable information for discharge interventions. Data related to cognition and activation can be used to tailor discharge planning and help determine what type and how many resources are needed for individual patients after hospital discharge. The purpose of this feasibility study is to examine the impact of delivering a home based care transitions interventions (HBCTIs) with four different groups tailored on cognition and level of patient activation compared to usual care (UC) on the outcomes of health care utilization (HCU) and health outcomes: patient-reported health status, assessment of care for chronic conditions, and health related quality of life in adult patients with multiple chronic diseases discharged to home from the hospital.

We will test our intervention with the following aims: Aim 1.To evaluate the impact of HBCTIs on health care utilization. We will measure HCU (number of emergency department(ED) visits and number of readmissions) at 6 months after discharge. Our working hypothesis is that patients in the HBCTI groups compared to the UC groups will have lower HCU over time (6 months); Aim 2. To evaluate the impact of HBCTIs on the following health outcomes: patient-reported health status (PROMIS-29), assessment of care for chronic conditions (PACIC), and quality of life (EuroQol). Our working hypothesis is that patients in the HBCTI groups compared to the UC group will have improved patient-reported health status, assessment of care for chronic conditions, and quality of life (EuroQol) at 6 months after discharge.

The findings from this study have the potential to change this paradigm in three ways: 1) we will gain a better understanding of the role of cognition and patient activation in promoting self-management to enhance outcomes; 2). our innovative approach, which considers the unique needs of patients based on their level of cognition and patient activation will advance new concepts in care transition programs; 3) we will have a better understanding of varying intensities of visits, level of providers, and type and amount of strategies administered. This practical model for care transitions could serve as a model within the larger health care delivery system that could result in significant cost savings.