Targeting a high-risk group for fall prevention: strategies for health plans.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Although Medicare has implemented incentives for health plans to reduce fall risk, the best way to identify older people at high risk of falling and to use screening results to target fall prevention services remains unknown. We evaluated 4 different strategies using a combination of administrative data and patient-reported information that health plans could easily obtain.

Study design

Observational study.

Methods

We used data from 1776 patients 75 years or older in 4 community-based primary care practices who screened positive for a fear of falling and/or a history of falls. For these patients, we predicted fall-related injuries in the 24 months after the date of screening using claims/encounter data. After controlling for age and gender, we predicted the

SUBMITTER: Jennings LA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4740917 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature