DataPoint: Home Health Quality Statistics

Based on Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) claims as of Oct. 1, 2017, 11.5 percent of New York State home health patients who made emergency department visits were not admitted to the hospital in the 60 days following the beginning of their home health stay. New York’s home health ER visits that did not result in hospital stays were a full percentage point below the national average and below all neighboring states other than New Jersey (11 percent). Home health stay statistics that lack ER visits and result in acute care hospitalizations differ from those that include ER visits. In New York State, hospital admissions occurred during the first 60 days in 17.1 percent of home health stays, one percentage point above the national average (16.1 percent). New York’s home care patients also reported fewer occurrences of pain and improved walking at rates higher than national averages. Similar home health statistics are available through LeadingAge Quality Metrics.

Contact: Ken Allison, kallison@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8820