Health Care & Aging
As stated in “Frailty: implications for clinical practice and public health” published in October 2019 in The Lancet, frailty is a condition we take for granted as being “normal” to the aging process. However, it is becoming more and more evident that it is a sign of diminished capacity that needs to be evaluated for risk adversity. Rising health care costs are associated with frailty and must be addressed.
In accordance with “Frailty syndrome: implications and challenges for health care policy” published in February 2019 in Dove Medical Press, promoting healthy aging includes successful evaluation of frailty in elderly patients. Health care cost systems will be impacted less if successful interventions occur early in the aging process.
As reported in “What does delirium cost? An economic evaluation of hyperactive delirium” published in January 2016 in the National Center for Biotechnology Information, early detection of delirium can greatly reduce or eliminate unnecessary health care costs. This can be accomplished by educating and training health care professionals about identifying delirium early on which will help prevent it from beginning in the first place.
Based on “How the Aging Brain Affects Thinking” from May 2017 in the National Institute on Aging, health aging requires stimulating brain function with mental activities such as working crossword puzzles, developing language and vocabulary, and increasing socialization. Prevention is the key in controlling escalating health care expenditures.
As shared in “Why Major Hospitals Are Losing Money By The Millions” from November 2017 in Forbes, waste and redundancy of valuable resources are an on-going problems for hospitals both before and after the Affordable Care Act. Preventive care is essential to lower costs by improving management of chronic disease".
As stated in “Population-Based Approaches to Mental Health: History, Strategies, and Evidence” from January 2020 in Annual Reviews, while there have been efforts to establish incentives for health care systems investing in mental health programs, investments have been limited. Hospitals taking a preventative approach by designing programs that will reduce psychosocial stressors could result in substantial savings. Partnerships between hospitals and their communities can collectively prevent escalating mental health costs by offering mental health support programs, thus preventing manifestations of certain disorders leading to hospitalization and unnecessary medical and pharmacological treatments.
As outlined in the Goals of HELP on the The Hospital Elder Life Program website, The HELP Program is great for any hospital treating and preventing patients with delirium and will help control costs. However, it is best suited for hospitals that do not have geriatric teams often found at larger teaching hospitals. Preventing falls and delirium using The HELP Program saves $800 per patient or $1.3 million per year.
