Home health care and rehabilitation nursing

Health care is increasingly being delivered on an outpatient and a home care basis than ever before. The Medicare Prospective Payment System, along with the implementation of DRGs, has caused an intense scrutiny of the need for and the length of hospitalization. Thus, hospitals have increased profit incentives to reduce costs and to discharge patients more quickly. Community awareness of the availability and effectiveness of home health care is now growing dramatically. Concurrently, the delivery of rehabilitation services is also rapidly expanding. These combined forces enable the rehabilitation nurse to be a significant member of the home health care interdisciplinary team.