The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association
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J Am Osteopath Assoc · May 1999
ReviewQuality medical management of the geriatric population using practice guidelines, physician-managed home health services, and continuous quality-improvement management strategies.
One challenge confronting physicians in the 1990s is the delivery of cost-effective quality healthcare to the elderly. Given current utilization, federal expenditures on Medicare and other federal healthcare programs are projected to increase to more than 6% of the gross national product by the year 2030. Physicians' practice habits will have an impact on the cost of caring for the nation's elderly. ⋯ Second, physicians should consider alternative approaches to present practice patterns such as physician-managed home health services. Finally, physicians need to take a proactive approach to quality by supporting continuous quality improvement. The purpose of this review is to present some of the existing established practice guidelines, data to support the use of physician-managed home care as an alternative practice approach, and suggestions to incorporate the principles of continuous quality improvement to serve as one practice model that can be used by physicians to improve the quality of medical care given to America's elderly.