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Information about ongoing health services research and public health projects


Heart Failure in Older Medicare Patients: Impact on Quality of Life and Costs
(Archived Project)
Investigator (PI): Chin, Marsall H
Performing Organization (PO): (Current): University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine, Department of Medicine
Supporting Agency (SA): American Heart Association (AHA)
Initial Year: 1999
Final Year: 2001
Award Type: Grant
Abstract: Heart failure is a major public health problem that causes much morbidity and cost to the nation. Over two million people have heart failure, and the syndrome costs over $10 billion in the United States each year. Heart failure occurs when the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. The result is that patients tend to become tired and short of breath, and their death rates can approach 50% over five years. Many older patients have this condition. In fact, heart failure is the most common cause for hospitalization of patients in the Medicare program, the national health insurance program that serves primarily persons 65 years or older. Because of the aging of the Baby Boom population and the increasing number of federal budget dollars that must be allocated to the Medicare program, trends in the quality of life and costs of older patients with heart failure are of great health policy importance. Surprisingly little is known about how quality of life evolves over time in older patients with heart failure. Such information would be useful to both patients and physicians as they discuss prognosis and what to expect as the patients live with their chronic disease. This research project determines changes in quality of life over a 6-year period for patients with heart failure in the Medicare program, and examines the relationship of a patient's functioning to hospital admission, death, and use of skilled nursing facilities and home health care. The study also investigates the relationship between quality of life and costs to the health care system.
MeSH Terms:
  • Activities of Daily Living
  • Aged
  • Data Collection
  • Health Care Costs /*statistics & numerical data
  • Health Services
  • Heart Failure /*complications
  • /economics /psychology
  • Hospitalization
  • Humans
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Medicare
  • * Quality of Life
  • Skilled Nursing Facilities
  • United States
Keywords:
  • research support, non-U.S. Gov't
Country: United States
State: Illinois
Zip Code: 60637
UI: 20010184
Project Status: Archived