Nutrition Care for Poorly Nourished Outpatients Reduces Resource Use and Lowers Costs.

ABSTRACT:

Background and objectives

Over 25% of United States (US) community-dwelling, older adults are at nutritional risk. Health and cost burdens of poor nutrition can be lowered by nutrition programs for hospital inpatients, but few studies have looked at the impact on outpatients. The objective of our study was to assess outcomes of a nutrition focused quality improvement program (QIP) on healthcare resource use and costs in poorly nourished outpatients.

Methods

This pre-post QIP study was implemented at 3 US healthcare system clinics. Included patients (n = 600) were ≥45 years old, had ≥2 chronic conditions, and were enrolled over a 15-month interval. For comparison, historical (n = 600) and concurrent control (n = 600) groups were used. Assessment of poor nutritional status was

SUBMITTER: Hong K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8138290 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan-Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature