Category: Research

Study: Engaged Family Caregivers Drive 65% Reduction in 30-Day Readmissions

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A recent study of a voluntary program from Intermountain Healthcare has shown that engaged family caregivers lead to a 65% reduction in avoidable 30-day hospital readmissions.  The program, called Partners in Healing, engaged family members during the hospitalization of a loved one, providing education on basic care tasks and checklists of what to do after discharge.

“The vast majority of families like to have something to do and they like to participate in patient care. They’re often the most motivated member of the care team,” says Van De Graaff. “We’ve found that families not only want to promote healing, but patients benefit from someone who knows their preferences, and the result is, the rate of readmissions is reduced after patients are discharged from the hospital.”

The methods and outcomes of this study underscore the importance of a platform such as genusConnect in scaling methods for increasing education, training, and engagement beyond high-touch pilots.

https://intermountainhealthcare.org/news/2018/02/engaging-family-members-in-care-of-hospitalized-loved-ones-enhances-healing/

Congress passes and Trump signs national caregiver support act

Posted on by Ward Detwiler Posted in ResearchLeave a comment

Last week, Congress passed and President Trump signed the Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage (RAISE) Family Caregivers Support Act.  The bipartisan act, which was supported by the AARP, elevates caregiving to a national priority and will create an advisory committee dedicated to creating a national strategy for supporting caregivers and organizing resources.  This is important on two fronts.  First, it underscores the importance of coordinating care resources and working across industries and health sectors to solve a snowballing threat to our nation and economy. Second, it bolsters the state-level CARE Act, passed into law in 36 states so far, requiring hospitals to identify and educate caregivers for patients in need.

The challenge facing the success of both the RAISE and CARE Acts is that there is no system in place for easily managing caregiver resources or coordinating health records, communications, and care plans in one place as patients move across the system.  That is what genusConnect is committed to solving, and from our collaborations with hospitals, home care companies, community groups, and foundations, it looks like we are on the right path!

 

Read more here:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/robinseatonjefferson/2018/01/24/congress-passes-trump-signs-raise-family-caregivers-act-elevating-caregiving-to-a-priority

Study: Engaged caregivers lower readmissions by 25%

Posted on by Ward Detwiler Posted in ResearchLeave a comment

Recent research from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center has shown that engaged family caregivers lower patient readmission rates by up to 25%.  This is big news for hospitals, who are under pressure to lower readmission rates through recently enacted readmission penalties from the Center For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).  With the average cost of a readmission for seniors nearing $14,000 for hospitals, reducing these costs will be critical as healthcare economics change.  Further driving this trend is the CARE Act, enacted in 2017 requiring hospitals to identify and educated caregivers for patients in need.

genusConnect is an important tool in addressing this challenge, allowing hospitals to efficiently engage and educate caregivers, helping them navigate the long journey of caregiving, driving better patient outcomes, making caregiving easier, and increasing quality of life.

https://patientengagementhit.com/news/family-caregiver-engagement-cuts-hospital-readmissions-by-25

Caregiver workforce has doubled, but it’s still not enough

Posted on by Ward Detwiler Posted in ResearchLeave a comment
The nation’s aging population means that more and more people will require a full time caregiver.  While the caregiver workforce has doubled in recent years, new research shows that it still is not enough to meet growing demand.  That means caregivers, both family and professional, will have to do more with less.  That is why we created genus.  Our easy to use care tools help you get organized and put all of your important information at your fingertips.  That means less time tracking down information and managing tasks and more time getting back to your life.

Report: Caregiving linked to sleep deprivation

Posted on by Ward Detwiler Posted in ResearchLeave a comment
If you are currently or have ever been a caregiver for someone you love, you know the strains it puts on you, both emotionally and physically.  So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that a new study shows that informal caregiving is linked to sleep deprivation in adults.  Just like you lose sleep over things like your job, bills, taxes, or managing your busy life, the stresses and tasks of being a caregiver can overwhelm your thoughts.  That is why we created genusConnect.  Keeping organized, communicating with your care network, and having the peace of mind that your loved on is okay can significantly reduce stress and lead to better health and happiness.  Click the link below to learn more about the study