Characteristics of Early Home Health Care Following Discharge From the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Home health care (HHC) supports NICU graduates by easing the transition home, educating families, and providing medical care. However, little is known about early HHC use in this population. Using the IBM Marketscan Research Database, we analyzed HHC use within 3 months of NICU discharge among commercially insured U.S. infants (2015-2017). Of 22,214 NICU survivors, 1,824 (8.2%) received HHC. Infants receiving HHC were more often preterm (80%) and had chronic conditions (61%). Regional disparities existed, with higher HHC use in the Northeast than in the South and West. Despite the medical complexity of NICU graduates, most did not receive HHC. Future research should explore HHC access among publicly insured infants, regional disparities, and barriers to care.