Community Paramedicine Intervention Reduces Hospital Readmission and Emergency Department Utilization for Patients with Cardiopulmonary Conditions

Objective: Patients discharged from the hospital with diagnoses of myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure or acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have high rates of readmission. We sought to quantify the impact of a community paramedicine (CP) intervention on hospital readmission and emergency department (ED) and clinic utilization for patients discharged with these conditions and to calculate the difference in healthcare costs.Methods: This was a prospective, observational cohort study with a matched historical control. The groups were matched for qualifying diagnosis, age, gender, and ZIP code. The intervention group received 1 –2 home visits per week by a community paramedic for 30 days. We calculated the number of all-cause hospital readmissions and ED and clinic visits, and used descriptive statistics to compare cohorts.Results: Included in the study were 78 intervention...
Source: Western Journal of Emergency Medicine - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Source Type: research