Post-acute Ambulatory Care Service Use Among Patients Discharged Home After Stroke or TIA: The Cluster-randomized...

We examined transitional care management within 90 days and 1 year following discharge home among acute stroke and transient ischemic attack patients from the Comprehensive Post-Acute Stroke Services (COMPASS) Study, a cluster-randomized pragmatic trial of early supported discharge conducted in 41 hospitals (40 hospital units) in North Carolina, United States.

Data for 2262 of the total 6024 (37.6%; 1069 intervention and 1193 usual care) COMPASS patients were linked with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services fee-for-service Medicare claims. Time to the first ambulatory care visit was examined using Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for patient characteristics not included in the randomization protocol.

Only 6% of the patients [mean (SD) age 74.9 (10.2) years, 52.1% women, 80.3% White)] did not have an ambulatory care visit within 90 days postdischarge. Mean time (SD) to first ambulatory care visit was 12.0 (26.0) and 16.3 (35.1) days in intervention and usual care arms, respectively, with the majority of visits in both study arms to primary care providers. The COMPASS intervention resulted in a 27% greater use of ambulatory care services within 1 year postdischarge, relative to usual care [HR=1.27 (95% CI: 1.14-1.41)]. The use of transitional care billing codes was significantly greater in the intervention arm as compared with usual care [OR=1.87 (95% CI: 1.54-2.27)].

The COMPASS intervention, which was aimed at improving stroke post-acute care, was associated with an increase in the use of ambulatory care services by stroke and transient ischemic attack patients discharged home and an increased use of transitional care billing codes by ambulatory providers.