Study: Improve care, reduce high cost for Medicare beneficiaries

It's well-known that a relatively small percentage of chronically ill patients accounts for a disproportionate amount of healthcare spending. Now, a multicenter study led by Johns Hopkins researcher Bruce Leff might provide insights into how to cut Medicare costs while improving health care for older adults suffering from chronic health conditions. Results of the study, published in the June issue of the journal Health Affairs, highlight the early efforts of the Medicare Innovations Collaborative, a program involving six health care–related organizations around the country that focused on the simultaneous implementation of six geriatric health care delivery models.