Projects Fail To Keep Elderly Out of Hospital

Keeping sick Medicare patients out of the hospital is really hard, a U.S.-funded study has found. The study included 15 pilot projects that tried to help older adults manage long-term conditions better. The conditions included diabetes, heart disease and lung disease. Only two projects reduced hospital stays. They provided more contact with a nurse than other programs. But even these two didn’t save Medicare any money. Researchers said big changes can occur only if doctors and patients change their habits. People need to exercise, eat better and stop smoking. Doctors may need to change how they care for some patients. The study appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The Associated Press wrote about it February 11.