Publication Date
This report to Congress responds to a mandate of the Orphan Drug Act (P.L.97-414, January 4, 1983), which called for the Secretary of HHS to conduct demonstration projects to test methods for identifying individuals at risk of institutional placement who could be treated more cost-effectively with home health and other non-institutional services. This report considers whether it is possible to make community care programs cost-effective by defining the target groups more rigorously. Evidence is reviewed from a number of demonstrations, but particularly the results of the National Long-Term Care Channeling Demonstration, which provides the most complete data available on a large sample of frail elderly persons. [47 PDF pages]