OBJECTIVES: Located in a healthcare provider shortage area, the Nevada Interprofessional Healthy Aging Network, supported by the federal Health Resources and Services Administration, developed an Interprofessional Education and telehealth training curriculum (IEHTC) for geriatrics healthcare providers, especially primary care, to improve age friendly healthcare. This project evaluates effects of IEHTC on five Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) outcome measures, and the hospitalization rate and inpatient care cost.

METHODS: Five MIPS measures of Medicare Advantage patients at 3 primary care sites were compared between 2019 (baseline: prior implementing IEHTC) and 2021 (after implementing IEHTC). Further, 50 patients selected through propensity matching with demographic and underlying health conditions, who visited one of the 3 primary care clinical sites at least once, were analyzed regarding their hospitalization and inpatient care cost. The cost was estimated based on the Nevada State Inpatient Dataset. All of the 50 patients were aged 65 and older and had diabetes, memory loss, and impaired gait/balance; 25 patients treated by primary care providers with IEHTC training and the remaining 25 were treated by those without IEHTC training.

RESULTS: Among the 5 MIPS measures, dementia caregiver education/support, advance care plan, fall risk assessment improved from 24.1%, 1.8%, and 29.1% to 27.3%, 41.7%, and 59.2%, respectively, after the implementation of IEHTC; while high-risk medication and uncontrolled diabetes reduced from 56.4% and 22.2% to 26.1% and 16.5%, respectively. In 2021, the hospitalization rate was down from 92% to 80%, and an average cost-saving of $22,135 for inpatient care per patient was observed among patients treated by healthcare providers with IEHTC training, as compared to those treated by providers without IEHTC training.

CONCLUSIONS: The IEHTC training program has shown potential in both improving clinical outcomes and reducing cost of care in clinical practice. A larger patient population is needed to further evaluate the effectiveness of the program.