Implementation and Evaluation of A Health Innovation to Support Medicaid-Insured Individuals Following Hospitalization

Overview

The goal of this stepped wedge pragmatic trial is to compare referral patterns and post discharge outcomes in Medicaid insured individuals discharge following a hospitalization\]. The aims are to 1) evaluate the implementation of the THRIVE clinical pathway, including feasibility, appropriateness, and acceptability and 2) examine referral patterns, 30- day readmission and Emergency Department (ED) utilization patterns for participants who receive THRIVE support services. During hospitalization participants will receive a referral to home care services and will be seen by a home care nurse within 48 hours following discharge. A discharging physician or Advanced Practice Provider will maintain clinical oversight for 30 days or until the patient sees primary care provider or specialist. A Care Coordination Team conducts weekly case conferences to ensure social and health needs are being addressed for 30 days post-discharge. Researchers will compare Medicaid insured patients discharged during the study, to those receiving usual care to determine if there are differences in post-acute utilization outcomes.

This is a prospective single site Type 1 hybrid effectiveness-implementation parallel mixed methods (QUANT + qual) quasi-experimental study. This study design involves simultaneous collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data, giving priority weight to the quantitative data to evaluate program referrals, outcomes, and program fidelity, while qualitative data will evaluate process through detailed descriptions of perspectives of barriers and facilitators faced by health care providers in implementing the THRIVE intervention. Qualitative interviews will also assess stakeholder perspectives of the value of the intervention in addressing health inequities among Medicaid insured individuals cared for in the acute and home care settings. Nesting the qualitative interview within a single-site randomized trial of a the THRIVE intervention will allow us to determine whether the intervention improved primary outcomes (referrals to homecare, 30-day readmission, ED utilization, connection to PCP) and to identify professional and organizational barriers to implementation. Combining these insights with that of effectiveness outcome date will allow consideration for meaningful contextual factors that are viewed as critical to the implementation of THRIVE and subsequent outcomes. Our stepped wedge design with include a randomized roll-out to case managers at Pennsylvania Hospital and the study will be carried out over 18 months. To begin, 5 case managers will be randomized to receive training on the THRIVE clinical pathway. Following training they will be invited to begin offering referrals to the THRIVE clinical pathway. After 2 months the remaining 4 case managers will be trained on the THRIVE intervention and will be able to begin submitting referrals.