Pharmaceutical services in hospital-based home health-care agencies - 1982

A survey of Medicare-certified hospital-based home health-care agencies was conducted in May 1982 to determine the type and extent of pharmaceutical services provided. A 12-page questionnaire was mailed to 243 directors of U.S. agencies that were identified from a 1976 directory. The questions elicited information about the characteristics of the director and agency, personnel, reimbursement, and scope of services. The overall response rate was 73.7%. Ninety-five percent of the agency directors were nurses. The median patient census of the agencies was 110. All agencies reported offering visiting-nurse services, 92% provided home health-aide services, and 46% offered home hospice services. Ninety-nine percent and 91% reported receiving reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid, respectively. One fourth of the agencies provided home services that traditionally involve hospital pharmacists, including intravenous therapy (29%), home chemotherapy (18%), and total parenteral nutrition (18%). Although 85% of the agency directors reported using the services of a pharmacist, only 4% actually employed a pharmacist on their staff. The directors viewed educational programs, drug regimen review, and drug information services as the most important functions of pharmacists in home health-care agencies. Although these agencies provided an array of pharmaceutical services in 1982, very few pharmacists were actually employed. Additional studies are needed to re-evaluate the current status of pharmacy involvement in home health care.