Cost-effectiveness of a follow-up program for older patients with heart failure: a randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: To assess the cost-utility of adding a disease management program (DMP) delivered by geriatric day hospital (GDH) for older patients with heart failure (HF) after hospital discharge.

Methods: 117 older HF patients discharged by a geriatric service were randomly assigned to DMP (n = 59) and usual care (UC) (n = 58) groups. The DMP group received health education, therapeutic control and monitoring through both telephone contacts and face-to-face visits at the GDH for 12 months.

[Influence of functional dependence on the case mix in a geriatric unit].

Objective: To determine the influence of pre-admission functional status on the case mix in a geriatric unit, after adjustment by the diagnosis-related groups (DRG) patient classification system.

Material And Methods: We performed a retrospective observational study in patients admitted to the geriatric unit of a general hospital over a 2-year period. Patients with a length of stay of less than 2 days and transfers from other medical services and hospitals were excluded.