AOTA Responds to NY Times Article, "The High Price of Failing America’s Costliest Patients"

New York Times, Sept. 28, 2017

“The High Price of Failing America’s Costliest Patients”

Thank you for bringing attention to the health care challenges that high-need, high-cost patients encounter in achieving quality of life (“The High Price of Failing America’s Costliest Patients,” Sept. 28, 2017). The article brings to light an important point: People want health, not health care.

One important solution is occupational therapy. A recent independent study, Higher Hospital Spending on Occupational Therapy Is Associated With Lower Readmission Rates, by researchers at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland School of Medicine published in Medical Care Research and Review shows that of the 19 distinct spending categories studied, occupational therapy was the only one that reduced hospital readmissions for patients with heart failure, pneumonia, and acute myocardial infarction.

Occupational therapy focuses on a vital issue related to hospital readmission rates — whether or not the patient can be discharged safely into his or her own environment. If not, occupational therapy practitioners can intervene in the following ways to reduce hospital readmissions:

1. Provide recommendations and training for caregivers.
2. Determine whether patients can safely live independently, or require further rehabilitation or nursing care.
3. Address existing disabilities with assistive devices so patients can safely perform activities of daily living (e.g., using the bathroom, bathing, getting dressed, making a meal).
4. Perform home safety assessments before discharge to suggest modifications.
5. Assess cognition and the ability to physically manipulate things like medication containers, and provide training when necessary.
6. Work with physical therapists to increase the intensity of inpatient rehabilitation.

To learn more about occupational therapy’s role in managing chronic conditions, visit www.aota.org.