‘Fragmented’ Care a Key Risk Factor for Poor Outcomes and High Health Care Costs
People with multiple health conditions often get their care from a number of different health professionals. While sometimes unavoidable, such fragmentation in care can lead to gaps in communication and coordination that put patients at risk for poor outcomes and higher health costs.
With support from the Commonwealth Fund, researchers led by Lisa Kern, M.D., of Weill Cornell Medical College found that patients with anywhere from one to four chronic conditions and highly fragmented care are more likely to visit emergency departments or be admitted to hospitals than chronically ill patients with less fragmented care.
The authors say focusing future programs or interventions on patients with fragmented care could help improve their outcomes and quality of life while also lowering total health care costs.
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