LAUSR

Key Points Question How often do Medicare patients referred to home health care at hospital discharge receive a home health care visit, and are there disparities? Findings In this cross-sectional study of Medicare beneficiaries in 2016, only 54.0% of patients discharged from the hospital with a home health care referral received home health care services within 14 days of discharge. This rate was even lower among Black and Hispanic patients, those who were dually enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid, and patients who lived in high-poverty, high-unemployment zip codes. Meaning These findings suggest that patients may face important differential barriers in access to home health care.