Ensuring quality care in a government-run healthcare program (Rep. Charles Boustany)

Yesterday, Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and I announced the introduction of The Medicare Transition Care Act of 2009. This bipartisan bill will help to support and coordinate care for seniors as they move from the hospital setting to their homes, skilled nursing facilitates or rehabilitation centers.

Our seniors need the best care possible. As a former cardiothoracic surgeon, I saw first hand the difficulties that arise during a transition between a hospital and home. Problems during this time lead to needless suffering and re-hospitalization. My home state of Louisiana ranks fifth highest nationally in the number of re-hospitalizations. Lowering the number of avoidable hospitalizations not only improves care for seniors but lowers costs for families and taxpayers as well.

Our bill aims to allow seniors to more easily move from the hospital to home, avoiding problems of miscommunication and re-entry into the hospital. A quality care clinician would provide services such as developing a transitional care plan that identifies potential health risks, treatment goals, current therapies, and future services along with advising the patient and caregiver how best to follow the physician’s instructions and care for conditions.

A study published in April 2009 by the New England Journal of Medicine found one third of Medicare beneficiaries studied who were discharged from the hospital were re-hospitalized within 90 days, partly due to a lack of follow-up care. The study also estimated that Medicare spent $17.4 billion in 2004 on unplanned re-hospitalizations. This legislation will directly address these connections, ensuring that appropriate follow-up care is provided.

This legislation is modeled after the Transitional Care Model developed by the University of Pennsylvania, which has shown to produce significant real outcome improvements for patients, as well as reduce health care costs for older, chronically-ill adults.

Republicans and Democrats should work together toward ensuring government-run health care programs that provide quality care for patients and make certain taxpayer money is not likely required for avoidable hospital visits.

Rep. Charles W. Boustany Jr., MD joined the House Ways & Means Committee in January. Currently, he is the only Republican doctor on the Committee.