The Bundled Hospital Elder Life Program—HELP and HELP in Home Care—and Its Association With Clinical Outcomes Among Older Adults Discharged to Home Healthcare

OBJECTIVES To describe the Bundled Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP and HELP in Home Care), an adaptation of HELP, and examine the association of 30-day all-cause unplanned hospital readmission risk among older adults discharged to home care with and without Bundled HELP. DESIGN Matched case-control study. SETTING Two medical-surgical units within two midwestern rural hospitals and patient homes (home health). PARTICIPANTS Hospitalized patients, aged 65 years and older, discharged to home healthcare with and without Bundled HELP exposure between January 1, 2015, and September 30, 2017. Each case (Bundled HELP, n = 148) was matched to a control (non-Bundled HELP, n = 148) on Charlson Comorbidity Index, primary hospital diagnosis of orthopedic condition or injury, and cardiovascular disease using propensity score matching. MEASUREMENTS The primary study outcome was 30-day all-cause unplanned hospital readmission. Additional outcomes measured were 30-day emergency department (ED) visit, hospital length of stay (LOS), and total number of skilled home care visits. RESULTS Fewer cases (16.8%) than controls (28.4%) had a 30-day all-cause unplanned hospital readmission. The fully adjusted model showed significantly lower risk of 30-day hospital readmission for case (Bundled HELP) patients (0.41; 95% confidence interval = 0.22-0.77; P