Care Ecosystem Collaborative Model and Health Care Costs in Medicare Beneficiaries With Dementia: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial
Author Department
Medicine; Geriatric Medicine
Document Type
Article, Peer-reviewed
Publication Date
9-2023
Abstract
Importance: Collaborative dementia care programs are effective in addressing the needs of patients with dementia and their caregivers. However, attempts to consider effects on health care spending have been limited, leaving a critical gap in the conversation around value-based dementia care.
Objective: To determine the effect of participation in collaborative dementia care on total Medicare reimbursement costs compared with usual care.
Design, setting, and participants: This was a prespecified secondary analysis of the Care Ecosystem trial, a 12-month, single-blind, parallel-group randomized clinical trial conducted from March 2015 to March 2018 at 2 academic medical centers in California and Nebraska. Participants were patients with dementia who were living in the community, aged 45 years or older, and had a primary caregiver and Medicare fee-for-service coverage for the duration of the trial.
Intervention: Telehealth dementia care program that entailed assignment to an unlicensed dementia care guide who provided caregiver support, standardized education, and connection to licensed dementia care specialists.
Main outcomes and measures: Primary outcome was the sum of all Medicare claim payments during study enrollment, excluding Part D (drugs).
Results: Of the 780 patients in the Care Ecosystem trial, 460 (59.0%) were eligible for and included in this analysis. Patients had a median (IQR) age of 78 (72-84) years, and 256 (55.7%) identified as female. Participation in collaborative dementia care reduced the total cost of care by $3290 from 1 to 6 months postenrollment (95% CI, -$6149 to -$431; P = .02) and by $3027 from 7 to 12 months postenrollment (95% CI, -$5899 to -$154; P = .04), corresponding overall to a mean monthly cost reduction of $526 across 12 months. An evaluation of baseline predictors of greater cost reduction identified trends for recent emergency department visit (-$5944; 95% CI, -$10 336 to -$1553; interaction P = .07) and caregiver depression (-$6556; 95% CI, -$11 059 to -$2052; interaction P = .05).
Conclusions and relevance: In this secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial among Medicare beneficiaries with dementia, the Care Ecosystem model was associated with lower total cost of care compared with usual care. Collaborative dementia care programs are a cost-effective, high-value model for dementia care.
Recommended Citation
Guterman EL, Kiekhofer RE, Wood AJ, Allen IE, Kahn JG, Dulaney S, Merrilees JJ, Lee K, Chiong W, Bonasera SJ, Braley TL, Hunt LJ, Harrison KL, Miller BL, Possin KL. Care Ecosystem Collaborative Model and Health Care Costs in Medicare Beneficiaries With Dementia: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Intern Med. 2023 Sep 18:e234764. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2023.4764. Epub ahead of print.
PMID
37721734