Study: Care coordination does not save money

A study looking at 15 care coordination programs involving Medicare patients found that only two resulted in a change in hospitalization rates—and one of those two saw more hospitalizations. According to the study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, viable care coordination programs without a strong transitional care component are unlikely to yield net Medicare savings. The study also found programs with substantial in-person contact that target moderate to severe patients can be cost-neutral and improve some aspects of care.