Patterns of Healthcare Utilization and Spending Among Homebound Older Adults in the USA: an Observational Study

Background Homebound older adults have complex social, medical, and financial needs, but little is known about their healthcare utilization and spending. Objective To characterize healthcare utilization and spending among homebound older adults. Design Cohort study using National Health and Aging Trends Study data linked to Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) claims data. Participants Adults aged 70 years and older with Medicare FFS coverage ( n = 6468). Main Measures In a person-year analysis, survey-weighted rates and adjusted marginal differences in inpatient, outpatient, and emergency department utilization and spending 12 months post-interview were calculated by homebound status, defined as reporting never or rarely (no more than 1 day/week) leaving home in the last month. Key Results Compared to the non-homebound, homebound observations had lower annual unadjusted rates of accessing primary care (60.9% vs 71.9%, p < 0.001) and specialist care (61.0% vs 74.9%, p < 0.001) and higher annual rates of emergency department use (54.0% vs 32.6%, p < 0.001) and hospitalization (39.8% vs 19.8%, p < 0.001). Total annual Medicare spending was $11,346 higher among the homebound compared to the non-homebound ( p < 0.001). In a single year analysis (2015), homebound older adults accounted for 11.0% of Medicare spending among those over 70 despite making up only 5.7% of this population. 13.6% of the homebound were in the 95 th percentile or above of Medicare spending in 2015. In models adjusting for demographic, clinical, and geographic characteristics, homebound status was associated with a decreased likelihood of having an annual primary care or specialist visit and $2226 additional total annual Medicare spending. Conclusions Homebound older adults use more hospital-based care and less outpatient care than the non-homebound, contributing to higher levels of overall Medicare spending.