Caring for the "Invisible Homebound": The Importance of Quality Measures

Nearly 2 million U.S. adults age 65 or older are completely or mostly homebound, while another 5.3 million have functional limitations that make it hard for them to leave their homes. Often unable to access office-based primary care, many struggle to manage their illnesses and depend on overwhelmed family caregivers. Christine Ritchie, M.D., of the University of California, San Francisco, and Bruce Leff, M.D., of Johns Hopkins University discuss the need for metrics to measure the quality of home-based health care.