Medicare home health payment reform may jeopardize access for clinically complex and socially vulnerable patients

Drivers of Community-Entry Home Health Care Utilization Among Older Adults

OBJECTIVES

A growing proportion of Medicare home health (HH) patients are "community-entry," meaning referred to HH without a preceding hospitalization. We sought to identify factors that predict community-entry HH use among older adults to provide foundational information regarding care needs and circumstances that may prompt community-entry HH referral.

DESIGN

Nationally representative cohort study.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Health and Retirement Study (HRS) respondents who were aged ≥65 years, community-living, and enrolled in Medicare between 2012 and 2018 (n = 11,425 unique individuals providing 27,026 two-year observation periods).

METHODS

HRS data were linked with standardized HH patient assessments. Community-entry HH utilization was defined as incurring one or more HH episode with no preceding hospitalization or institutional post-acute care stay (determined via assessment item indicating institutional care within 14 days of HH admission) within 2 years of HRS interview. Weighted, multivariable logistic regression was used to model community-entry HH use as a function of individual, social support, and community characteristics.

RESULTS

The overall rate of community-entry HH utilization across observation periods was 13.4%. Older adults had higher odds of community-entry HH use if they were Medicaid enrolled [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.49, P = .001], had fair or poor overall health (aOR = 1.48, P < .001), 3+ activities of daily living limitations (aOR = 1.47, P = .007), and had fallen in the past 2 years (aOR = 1.43, P < .001). Compared with those receiving no caregiver help, individuals were more likely to use community-entry HH if they received family or unpaid help only (aOR = 1.81, P < .001), both family and paid help (aOR = 2.79, P < .001), or paid help only (aOR: 3.46, P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Findings indicate that community-entry HH serves a population with long-term care needs and coexisting clinical complexity, making this an important setting to provide skilled care and prevent avoidable health care utilization. Results highlight the need for ongoing monitoring of community-entry HH accessibility as this service is a key component of home-based care for a high-need subpopulation.

Analysis of Functional Recovery in Older Adults Discharged to Skilled Nursing Facilities and Then Home

IMPORTANCE

Although many older adults are discharged to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) after hospitalization, rates of patients recovery afterward are unknown.

OBJECTIVE

To examine postacute functional recovery among older adults.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This cohort study was conducted among older adults treated in SNFs, then at home with home health care (HHC). Participants were a 5% random sample of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries discharged to community HHC after SNF stay from 2014 to 2016 with continuous part A and B enrollment in the prior 6 months. Medicare claims data from 2014 to 2016 were used, including inpatient, SNF, hospice, HHC, outpatient, carrier, and durable medical equipment data and Minimum Data Set (MDS) and Outcome Assessment Information Set (OASIS) for SNF and HHC assessments, respectively. Data were analyzed from July 20, 2020, to June 5, 2022.

EXPOSURES

Frailty was measured with a validated claims-based frailty index (CFI) (range, 0-1; higher scores indicate worse frailty) and categorized into not frail (<0.20), mildly frail (0.20-0.29), and moderately to severely frail (≥0.30).

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

The primary outcome was functional recovery, defined by discharge from HHC with stable or improved ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL). Recovery status was examined at 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, and 90 days after discharge to HHC using OASIS. Covariates were obtained from the MDS admission file at SNF admission, including age, race and ethnicity, cognitive status, functional status, and geographic region.

RESULTS

Among 105 232 beneficiaries (mean [SD] age, 79.1 [10.6] years; 68 637 [65.2%] women; 8951 Black [8.5%], 3109 Hispanic [3.0%], and 88 583 White [84.2%] individuals), 65 796 individuals (62.5%) were discharged from HHC services with improved function over 90 days of follow-up. Among 39 436 beneficiaries not recovered, 19 612 individuals (49.7%) had mild frailty and 15 818 individuals (40.1%) had moderate to severe frailty. While 10 492 of 17 576 beneficiaries who were not frail recovered by 45 days (59.7%), 10 755 of 32 212 individuals with moderate to severe frailty had recovered (33.4%). Overall, frailty was negatively associated with functional recovery after adjustment for demographic characteristics, geographic census regions, and health-related variables, with a hazard ratio for moderate to severe frailty of 0.62 (95% CI, 0.60-0.63) compared with nonfrailty.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

This study found that recovery after posthospitalization SNF stay was particularly prolonged for individuals with frailty. Functional dependence in activities of daily living remained common among individuals with frailty long after discharge home.

Patient cognitive impairment associated with higher home health care delivery costs

OBJECTIVE

To assess whether home health agencies incur significantly higher care delivery costs for patients with cognitive impairment across three timeframes relevant to home health payment policy.

DATA SOURCES

Linked Medicare home health claims and patient assessments, National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), and home health agency cost reports for a nationally representative sample of Medicare beneficiaries receiving home health between 2011 and 2016.

STUDY DESIGN

We modeled care delivery costs incurred by the home health agency as a function of patient cognitive impairment using multivariable, propensity score-adjusted, generalized linear models.

DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS

We identified NHATS participants who experienced an index home health episode between 2011 and 2016 (n = 1214; weighted n = 5,856,333) and linked their NHATS survey data to standardized patient assessment and claims data for the episode, as well as cost report data for the home health agency that provided care.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

Across the first 30, 60, and 120 days of caring for a patient with cognitive impairment, we estimate additional costs of care to the home health agency of $186.19 (p = 0.02), $282.46 (p = 0.01), and $740.91 (p = 0.04), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Home health agencies incur significantly higher costs when caring for a patient with cognitive impairment. As patient cognitive function is not considered in the most recent Medicare home health reimbursement model, agencies may be disincentivized from providing care to those with cognitive impairment. Policy makers and researchers should carefully monitor home health access among Medicare beneficiaries with cognitive impairment and further investigate the inclusion of patient cognitive function in future risk adjustment models.

Cognitive impairment associated with greater care intensity during home health care

BACKGROUND

In Medicare-funded home health care (HHC), one in three patients has cognitive impairment (CI), but little is known about the care intensity they receive in this setting. Recent HHC reimbursement changes fail to adjust for patient CI, potentially creating a financial disincentive to caring for these individuals.

METHODS

This cohort study included a nationally representative sample of 1214 Medicare HHC patients between 2011 and 2016. Multivariable logistic and negative binomial regressions modelled the relationship between patient CI and care intensity-measured as the number and type of visits received during HHC and likelihood of receiving multiple successive HHC episodes.

RESULTS

Patients with CI had 45% (P < .05) greater odds of receiving multiple successive HHC episodes and received an additional 2.82 total (P < .001), 1.39 nursing (P = .003), 0.72 physical therapy (P = .03), and 0.60 occupational therapy visits (P = .01) during the index HHC episode.

DISCUSSION

Recent HHC reimbursement changes do not reflect the more intensive care needs of patients with CI.

Family Caregivers' Conceptions of Trust in Home Health Care Providers

Trust is important to family caregivers of older adults receiving home health care (HHC). Caregivers rely extensively on nurses, home health aides, and other providers to manage complex care tasks. The current study examined how family caregivers conceive of trust in HHC providers. Directed content analysis methods were applied to 40 qualitative interviews conducted with caregivers of HHC patients aged ≥65 years. Results indicated that caregivers invested trust in providers who displayed competencies in caring for patients with chronic conditions and functional difficulties, willingness to foster frequent and open communication with room for questions and feedback, confidence in their ability to be present and alert for patients, and fidelity to a variety of tasks contributing to holistic care. Caregivers' conceptions of trust in providers are affected by interpersonal aspects of their interactions with providers as well as the broader systems of care within which they participate. [Research in Gerontological Nursing, 14(4), 200-210.].

The Impact Of Medicare's Rural Add-On Payments On Supply Of Home Health Agencies Serving Rural Counties

Intermittently since 2001, Medicare has provided a percentage increase over standard payments to home health agencies that serve rural beneficiaries. Yet the effect of rural add-on payments on the supply of home health agencies that serve rural communities is unknown. Taking advantage of the pseudo-natural experiment created by varying rural add-on payment amounts over time, we used data from Home Health Compare to examine how the payments affected the number of home health agencies serving rural counties. Our results suggest that while supply changes are similar in rural counties adjacent to urban areas and in urban counties regardless of add-on payments, only higher add-on payments (of 5 percent or 10 percent) keep supply changes in rural counties not adjacent to urban areas on pace with those in urban counties. Our findings support the recent shift from broadly applied to targeted rural add-on payments but raise questions about the effects of the amount and eventual sunset of these payments on the supply of home health agencies serving remote rural communities.

A Predictive Risk Model for Infection-Related Hospitalization Among Home Healthcare Patients

Infection prevention is a high priority for home healthcare (HHC), but tools are lacking to identify patients at highest risk of developing infections. The purpose of this study was to develop and test a predictive risk model to identify HHC patients at risk of an infection-related hospitalization or emergency department visit. A nonexperimental study using secondary data was conducted. The Outcome and Assessment Information Set linked with relevant clinical data from 112,788 HHC admissions in 2014 was used for model development (70% of data) and testing (30%). A total of 1,908 patients (1.69%) were hospitalized or received emergency care associated with infection. Stepwise logistic regression models discriminated between individuals with and without infections. Our final model, when classified by highest risk of infection, identified a high portion of those who were hospitalized or received emergent care for an infection while also correctly categorizing 90.5% of patients without infection. The risk model can be used by clinicians to inform care planning. This is the first study to develop a tool for predicting infection risk that can be used to inform how to direct additional infection control intervention resources on high-risk patients, potentially reducing infection-related hospitalizations, emergency department visits, and costs.

Social Vulnerability and Medical Complexity Among Medicare Beneficiaries Receiving Home Health Without Prior Hospitalization

Background and Objectives

Recent Medicare home health payment changes reduce reimbursement for care provided to patients without a preceding hospitalization. Beneficiaries may enter home health without a preceding hospitalization via referral from a community provider or through incurring multiple episodes of home health care. We assess potential implications of this change by examining the characteristics of patients accessing Medicare home health through each of these pathways.

Research Design and Methods

Nationally representative retrospective cohort study of 1,224 (weighted n = 5,913,080) older adults who participated in the National Health and Aging Trends Study between 2011 and 2015 and received Medicare-funded home health within 1 year of interview. Patient characteristics before home health were drawn from the National Health and Aging Trends Study, while characteristics during home health, referral source, and number of episodes incurred were drawn from linked Outcomes and Assessment Information Set and Medicare claims. We tested for differences in characteristics by referral source and number of episodes using weighted chi-square tests and t tests.

Results

Patients referred to home health from the community were more than twice as likely to be Medicaid-enrolled (24.0% vs 12.5%, p < .001), have dementia (29.5% vs 12.4%, p < .001), and have received 80 or more hours/month of family caregiver assistance (20.7% vs 10.1%, p < .001) prior to home health entry compared to those referred from a hospital or skilled nursing facility. Patients who incurred multiple episodes in a spell of home health care were more likely to have high clinical severity during home health (48.3% vs 28.1%, p < .001), compared to those with a single episode.

Discussion and Implications

Greater social vulnerability and care needs before home health were associated with community referral, while greater clinical severity during home health was associated with incurring multiple episodes of care. Findings suggest that recent payment changes may threaten home health access among beneficiaries with greater social vulnerability and/or medical complexity.

Relationships Between Race/Ethnicity and Health Care Utilization Among Older Post-Acute Home Health Care Patients

Few studies have explored racial/ethnic differences in health care outcomes among patients receiving home health care (HHC), despite known differences in other care settings. We conducted a retrospective cohort study examining racial/ethnic disparities in rehospitalization and emergency room (ER) use among post-acute patients served by a large northeastern HHC agency between 2013 and 2014 (N = 22,722). We used multivariable binomial logistic regression to describe the relationship between race/ethnicity and health care utilization outcomes, adjusting for individual-level factors that are conceptually related to health service use. Overall rates of rehospitalization and ER visits were 10% and 13%, respectively. African American and Hispanic patients experienced higher odds of ER visits or rehospitalization during their HHC episode. Racial/ethnic differences in utilization were mediated by enabling factors, such as caregiver availability, and illness-level factors, such as illness severity, functional status, and symptoms. Intervention targets may include early risk assessment, proactive management of clinical conditions, rehabilitative therapy, and caregiver training.

A systematic review of case-mix models for home health care payment: Making sense of variation

BACKGROUND

Case-mix based payment of health care services offers potential to contain expenditure growth and simultaneously support needs-based care provision. However, limited evidence exists on its application in home health care (HHC). Therefore, this study aimed to synthesize available international literature on existing case-mix models for HHC payment.

METHODS

We performed a systematic review of scientific literature, supplemented with grey literature. We searched for literature using six scientific databases, reference lists, expert consultation, and targeted websites. Data on study design, case-mix model attributes, and conclusions were extracted narratively.

RESULTS

Of 3303 references found, 22 scientific studies and 27 grey documents met eligibility criteria. Eight case-mix models for HHC were identified, from the US, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and Germany. Three countries have implemented a case-mix model as part of a HHC payment system. Different combinations of in total 127 unique case-mix predictors are included across models to predict HHC use. Case-mix models also differ in targeted services, operationalization, and outcome measures and predictive power.

CONCLUSIONS

Case-mix based payment is not yet widely used within HHC. Multiple varieties were found between HHC case-mix models, and no one best form of a model seems to exist. Even though varieties are partly inevitable due to country-specific contexts, developing a shared vision in case-mix model attributes would be key to achieving efficient, needs-based HHC.

Association Between Home Health Services and Facility Admission in Older Adults With and Without Alzheimer's Disease

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the association between home health (HH) services, including skilled nursing (SN), physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy, social work (SW), and homemaking aide assistance with the hazard of unplanned facility admissions among Medicare patients with and without Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD).

DESIGN

Analysis of the Outcome and Assessment Information Set and billing records.

SETTING

A not-for-profit HH agency serving multiple counties in New York State.

PARTICIPANTS

Adults ≥65 years old who received HH from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017.

MEASURES

Outcome was time from HH start of care to an unplanned facility admission of any type, including the hospital, nursing home, and rehabilitation facility. Independent variables included weekly intensity (visits/week, hours/week) of SN, PT, occupational therapy, SW, and, homemaking aide assistance separately. ADRD was identified by diagnosis (International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes in billing records) and cognitive impairment assessment (Outcome and Assessment Information Set).

RESULTS

Of the sample (N = 6153), 14.9% had an unplanned facility admission. In multivariable Cox proportional hazard models that adjusted for time-varying effects of HH intensity and covariates, receiving the highest intensity of SN (3.3 visits of 2.78 hours per week) and PT (2.5 visits of 2 hours per week) was related to up to a 54% and 86% decrease, respectively, in the hazard of unplanned facility admission among patients with ADRD (n = 1525), and decreases of 56% and 90%, respectively, among patients without ADRD (n = 4628). Receiving any SW was related to 40% decreased in the hazard of facility admission in patients without ADRD only. Other HH services were not consistently related to the risk of facility admission.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Receiving a higher intensity of SN and PT was associated with reduced hazards of unplanned facility admission among HH patients with and without ADRD. Policies should ensure that patients with ADRD receive a sufficient amount and appropriate mix of HH services.

“Less is Better” Philosophy Decreases Home Health Aide Utilization to Increase Reimbursement in Medicare Home Health

There has been a 75% decline in home health aide visits between 2000 and 2016, the only Medicare home health nonskilled service. A literature review indicates no studies addressing reasons for the decrease. This study summarizes interviews of nine executives from three for-profit chain-owned Medicare-certified home health agencies. Results indicate agreement on three themes: Medicare home health uses a medical model, focusing on intermittent skilled care; the Medicare home health prospective payment system exacerbated the focus on skilled care by rewarding higher reimbursement for skilled care–based episodes; and a “less is better” synergy has evolved regarding utilization of home health aide services and reimbursement. Policymakers are urged to use the forthcoming Medicare home health Patient-Driven Groupings Model Reform and recent Medicare Advantage changes covering nonmedical services to encourage greater utilization of home health aides and other nonmedical services addressing patient and caregiver social needs affecting care.

Medicare Spending and the Adequacy of Support With Daily Activities in Community-Living Older Adults With Disability: An Observational Study

BACKGROUND

Identifying factors that affect variation in health care spending among older adults with disability may reveal opportunities to better address their care needs while offsetting excess spending.

OBJECTIVE

To quantify differences in total Medicare spending among older adults with disability by whether they experience negative consequences due to inadequate support with household activities, mobility, or self-care.

DESIGN

Observational study of in-person interviews and linked Medicare claims.

SETTING

United States, 2015.

PARTICIPANTS

3716 community-living older adults who participated in the 2015 NHATS (National Health and Aging Trends Study) and survived for 12 months.

MEASUREMENTS

Total Medicare spending by spending quartile in multivariable regression models that adjusted for individual characteristics.

RESULTS

Negative consequences were experienced by 18.3% of participants with disability in household activities, 25.6% with mobility disability, and 20.0% with self-care disability. Median Medicare spending was higher for those who experienced negative consequences due to household ($4866 vs. $4095), mobility ($7266 vs. $4115), and self-care ($10 935 vs. $4436) disability versus those who did not. In regression-adjusted analyses, median spending did not differ appreciably for participants who experienced negative consequences in household activities ($338 [95% CI, -$768 to $1444]), but was higher for those with mobility ($2309 [CI, $208 to $4409]) and self-care ($3187 [CI, $432 to $5942]) disability. In the bottom-spending quartile, differences were observed for self-care only ($1460 [CI, $358 to $2561]). No differences were observed in the top quartile.

LIMITATION

This observational study could not establish causality.

CONCLUSION

Inadequate support for mobility and self-care is associated with higher Medicare spending, especially in the middle and lower ends of the spending distribution. Better support for the care needs of older adults with disability could offset some Medicare spending.

PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE

The Commonwealth Fund.

Home-Health-Care Physical Therapy Improves Early Functional Recovery of Medicare Beneficiaries After Total Knee Arthroplasty

BACKGROUND

Home-health-care utilization after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is increasing. Recent publications have suggested that supervised rehabilitation is not needed to optimize functional recovery after TKA; however, few studies have evaluated patients in home-health-care settings. The objectives of this study were to (1) determine whether physical therapy (PT) utilization is associated with functional improvements for patients in home-health-care settings after TKA and (2) determine which factors are related to utilization of PT.

METHODS

This study was an analysis of Medicare home-health-care claims data for patients treated with a TKA in 2012 who received home-health-care services for postoperative rehabilitation. Multivariable linear regression models were used to evaluate relationships between PT utilization and recovery in activities of daily living (ADLs). Negative binomial regression models were used to determine factors associated with PT utilization.

RESULTS

Records from 5,967 Medicare beneficiaries were evaluated. Low home-health-care PT utilization (≤5 visits) was associated with less improvement in ADLs compared with 6 to 9 visits, 10 to 13 visits, or ≥14 visits. Compared with low home-health-care utilization, utilization of 6 to 9 visits was associated with a 25% greater improvement in ADLs over the home-health-care episode (p < 0.0001); 10 to 13 visits, with a 40% greater improvement (p < 0.0001); and ≥14 visits, with a 50% greater improvement (p < 0.0001). The findings remained robust following adjustments for medical complexity, baseline functional status, and home-health-care episode duration. After adjustment, lower PT utilization was observed for patients receiving home health care from rural agencies (10.7% fewer visits, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 7.9% to 13.7%), those with depressive symptoms (4.8% fewer visits, 95% CI = 1.3% to 8.3%), and those with any baseline dyspnea (5.3% fewer visits, 95% CI = 3.1% to 7.5%).

CONCLUSIONS

Low home-health-care PT utilization was significantly associated with worse recovery in ADLs after TKA for Medicare beneficiaries, after controlling for medical complexity, baseline function, and home-health-care episode duration. Patients who are served by rural agencies or who have higher medical complexity receive fewer PT visits after TKA and may need closer monitoring to ensure optimal functional recovery.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Development and testing of the Dementia Symptom Management at Home (DSM-H) program: An interprofessional home health care intervention to improve the quality of life for persons with dementia and their caregivers

Home health care agencies are increasingly taking care of sicker, older patients with greater comorbidities. However, they are unequipped to appropriately manage these older adults, particular persons living with dementia (PLWD). We therefore developed the Dementia Symptom Management at Home (DSM-H) Program, a bundled interprofessional intervention, to improve the care confidence of providers, and quality of care delivered to PLWD and their caregivers. We implemented the DSM-H with 83 registered nurses, physical therapists, and occupational therapists. Overall, there was significant improvement in pain knowledge (5.9%) and confidence (26.5%), depression knowledge (14.8%) and confidence (36.1%), and neuropsychiatric symptom general knowledge (16.8%), intervention knowledge (20.9%), attitudes (3.4%) and confidence (27.1%) at a statistical significance of (P < .0001). We also found significant differences between disciplines. Overall, this disseminable program proved to be implementable and improve clinician's knowledge and confidence in caring for PLWD, with the potential to improve quality of care and quality of life, and decrease costs.

Disparities in home health service providers among Medicare beneficiaries with stroke

This study examined the intensity of home health services, as defined by the number of visits and service delivery by rehabilitation specialists, among Medicare beneficiaries with stroke. A cross-sectional secondary data analysis was conducted using 2009 home health claims data obtained from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Research Data Assistance Center. There were no significant rural-urban differences in the number of home health visits. Rural beneficiaries were significantly less likely than urban beneficiaries to receive services from rehabilitation specialists. Current home health payment reform recommendations may have unintended consequences for rural home health beneficiaries who need therapy services.

The impact of home health length of stay and number of skilled nursing visits on hospitalization among Medicare-reimbursed skilled home health beneficiaries

The implementation of the Home Health Prospective Payment System in 2000 led to a dramatic reduction in home health length of stay and number of skilled nursing visits among Medicare beneficiaries. While policy leaders have focused on the rising costs of home health care, its potential underutilization, and the relationship between service use and patient outcomes including hospitalization rates have not been rigorously examined. A secondary analysis of five Medicare-owned assessment and claims data sets for the year 2009 was conducted among two independently randomly selected samples of Medicare-reimbursed home health recipients (each n = 31,485) to examine the relationship between home health length of stay or number of skilled nursing visits and hospitalization rates within 90 days of discharge from home health. Patients who had a home health length of stay of at least 22 days or received at least four skilled nursing visits had significantly lower odds of hospitalization than patients with shorter home health stays and fewer skilled nursing visits. Additional study is needed to clarify the best way to structure home health services and determine readiness for discharge to reduce hospitalization among this chronically ill population. In the mean time, the findings of this study suggest that home health providers should consider the benefits of at least four SNV and/or a home health LOS of 22 days or longer.

Epidemiology of the Homebound Population in the United States

IMPORTANCE

Increasing numbers of older, community-dwelling adults have functional impairments that prevent them from leaving their homes. It is uncertain how many people who live in the United States are homebound.

OBJECTIVES

To develop measures of the frequency of leaving and ability to leave the home and to use these measures to estimate the size of the homebound population in the US population.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

Cross-sectional data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study collected in 2011 in the contiguous United States. Participants were a nationally representative sample of 7603 noninstitutionalized Medicare beneficiaries 65 years and older.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

We defined homebound persons as those who never (completely homebound) or rarely (mostly homebound) left the home in the last month. We defined semihomebound persons as those who only left the home with assistance or had difficulty or needed help leaving the home. We compared demographic, clinical, and health care utilization characteristics across different homebound status categories.

RESULTS

In 2011, the prevalence of homebound individuals was 5.6% (95% CI, 5.1%-6.2%), including an estimated 395,422 people who were completely homebound and 1,578,984 people who were mostly homebound. Among semihomebound individuals, the prevalence of those who never left home without personal assistance was 3.3% (95% CI, 2.8%-3.8%), and the prevalence of those who required help or had difficulty was 11.7% (95% CI, 10.9%-12.6%). Completely homebound individuals were more likely to be older (83.2 vs 74.3 years, P < .001), female (67.9% vs 53.4%, P < .006), and of nonwhite race (34.1% vs 17.6%, P < .001) and have less education and income than nonhomebound individuals. They also had more chronic conditions (4.9 vs 2.5) and were more likely to have been hospitalized in the last 12 months (52.1% vs 16.2%) (P < .001 for both). Only 11.9% of completely homebound individuals reported receiving primary care services at home.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

In total, 5.6% of the elderly, community-dwelling Medicare population (approximately 2 million people) were completely or mostly homebound in 2011. Our findings can inform improvements in clinical and social services for these individuals.