Home-Based Primary and Palliative Care in the Medicaid Program: Systematic Review of the Literature

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: To describe the use of home-based medical care (HBMC) among Medicaid beneficiaries. DESIGN: A systematic review of the peer-reviewed and gray literature of home-based primary care and palliative care programs among Medicaid beneficiaries including dual eligibles. SETTING: HBMC including home-based primary care and palliative care programs. PARTICIPANTS: Studies describing Medicaid beneficiaries receiving HBMC. MEASUREMENTS: Three groups of studies were included: those focused on HBMC specifically for Medicaid beneficiaries, studies that described the proportion of Medicaid patients receiving HBMC, and those that used Medicaid status as a dependent variable in studying HBMC. RESULTS: The peer-reviewed and gray literature searches revealed 574 unique studies of which only 16 met inclusion criteria. Few publications described HBMC as an integral care delivery model for Medicaid programs. Data from the programs described suggest the use of HBMC for Medicaid beneficiaries can reduce healthcare costs. The addition of social supports to HBMC appears to convey additional savings and benefits. CONCLUSION: This systematic literature review highlights the relative dearth of literature regarding the use and impact of HBMC in the Medicaid population. HBMC has great potential to reduce Medicaid costs, and innovative programs combining HBMC with social support systems need to be tested.