Fall-Prevention Education Can Lead To Reduced Acute Care Costs, Connecticut Report Finds

Main Category: Seniors / Aging
Also Included In: Primary Care / General Practice
Article Date: 12 Aug 2008 - 10:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

Educating health care practitioners and the elderly about ways to prevent falling can significantly reduce the number of emergency department visits and health care costs in Connecticut, according to a recent state-funded report, the New Haven Register reports. Researchers analyzed the rate of fall-related injuries from 2004 to 2006 among residents ages 70 and older in two Connecticut counties. In one county, about 3,000 physicians were educated about fall intervention practices, while physicians in the other county received no information about preventing falls.

According to study author Dorothy Baker of Yale University School of Medicine, there was an 11% reduction in fall-related medical services in the county where physicians were exposed to fall prevention practices. The reduction in falls translated into 1,800 fewer ED visits and hospital admissions, and a $21 million reduction in acute care costs (Carter, New Haven Register, 8/7).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.

© 2008 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

• Additional
• References
• Citations