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A Randomized Multicenter Trial

Susan L. Hughes, DSW; Frances M. Weaver, PhD; Anita Giobbie-Hurder, MS; Larry Manheim, PhD; William Henderson, PhD; Joseph D. Kubal, MA; Alec Ulasevich, PhD; Joan Cummings, MD; for the Department of Veterans Affairs Cooperative Study Group on Home-Based Primary Care

JAMA. 2000;284:2877-2885.

Context  Although home-based health care has grown over the past decade, its effectiveness remains controversial. A prior trial of Veterans Affairs (VA) Team-Managed Home-Based Primary Care (TM/HBPC) found favorable outcomes, but the replicability of the model and generalizability of the findings are unknown.

Objectives  To assess the impact of TM/HBPC on functional status, health-related quality of life (HR-QoL), satisfaction with care, and cost of care.

Design and Setting  Multisite randomized controlled trial conducted from October 1994 to September 1998 in 16 VA medical centers with HBPC programs.

Participants  A total of 1966 patients with a mean age of 70 years who had 2 or more activities of daily living impairments or a terminal illness, congestive heart failure (CHF), or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Intervention  Home-based primary care (n = 981), including a primary care manager, 24-hour contact for patients, prior approval of hospital readmissions, and HBPC team participation in discharge planning, vs customary VA and private sector care (n = 985).

Main Outcome Measures  Patient functional status, patient and caregiver HR-QoL and satisfaction, caregiver burden, hospital readmissions, and costs over 12 months.

Results  Functional status as assessed by the Barthel Index did not differ for terminal (P = .40) or nonterminal (those with severe disability or who had CHF or COPD) (P = .17) patients by treatment group. Significant improvements were seen in terminal TM/HBPC patients in HR-QoL scales of emotional role function, social function, bodily pain, mental health, vitality, and general health. Team-Managed HBPC nonterminal patients had significant increases of 5 to 10 points in 5 of 6 satisfaction with care scales. The caregivers of terminal patients in the TM/HBPC group improved significantly in HR-QoL measures except for vitality and general health. Caregivers of nonterminal patients improved significantly in QoL measures and reported reduced caregiver burden (P = .008). Team-Managed HBPC patients with severe disability experienced a 22% relative decrease (0.7 readmissions/patient for TM/HBPC group vs 0.9 readmissions/patient for control group) in hospital readmissions (P = .03) at 6 months that was not sustained at 12 months. Total mean per person costs were 6.8% higher in the TM/HBPC group at 6 months ($19,190 vs $17,971) and 12.1% higher at 12 months ($31,401 vs $28,008).

Conclusions  The TM/HBPC intervention improved most HR-QoL measures among terminally ill patients and satisfaction among non–terminally ill patients. It improved caregiver HR-QoL, satisfaction with care, and caregiver burden and reduced hospital readmissions at 6 months, but it did not substitute for other forms of care. The higher costs of TM/HBPC should be weighed against these benefits.

Author Affiliations: Cooperative Studies Program Coordinating Center, Edward A. Hines Jr Veterans Affairs Hospital, Hines, Ill (Drs Hughes, Henderson, and Ulasevich and Ms Giobbie-Hurder); Center for Research on Health and Aging, School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago (Dr Hughes); Midwest Center for Health Services and Policy Research, Edward A. Hines Jr Veterans Affairs Hospital (Drs Weaver and Manheim and Mr Kubal); Institute for Health Services Research and Policy Studies, Northwestern University, Evanston Ill (Drs Weaver and Manheim); Veterans Integrated Services Network 12, Hines, Ill (Dr Cummings).

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