Related Experiment Videos
Home medical equipment receipt in a home care appropriate population
F M Weaver1, A G Giobbie-Hurder, S L Hughes
1Midwest Center for Health Services and Policy Research, Northwestern University
Objectives:
This study examines home medical equipment (HME) receipt for 1,040 veterans considered appropriate for home health services.
Methods:
HME receipt was monitored for 12 months using the Department of Veterans Affairs' Prosthetics database.
Results:
Eighty-three percent received at least one item; averaging 7.4 items (SD = 6.8). The most common items included commodes/bath benches (9%), canes/walkers (7%), safety equipment (7%), liquid oxygen (6%), and wheelchairs (6%). Two functional status variables, home care use and race, correctly classified 69% of HME recipients. Logistic regressions were run for specific equipment; c-indices ranged from .64 to .75. Age, race, income, functional status, risk of hospital readmission, and home care use were significant predictors.
Discussion:
HME accounted for $4.5 billion in sales (16% of total) for medical products in 1996. As the HME market continues to expand, the characteristics of HME recipients are necessary to project future HME needs in a growing, elderly population.