Headline
Pairing promotores with clinicians increased in-home visits and reduced acute care use and health care costs for homebound older adults.
Background
Promotores are community health workers that support Hispanic and Latino communities. These professionals build trust with individuals and communities to address physical health and health-related social needs. This article shares how the University of Texas Health San Antonio Geriatrics and Supportive Care Practice paired bilingual promotores with clinicians to conduct in-home visits with their homebound older adult patients.
Findings
During in-home visits in this program, promotores and clinicians partnered to identify health-related social needs and note follow-up care in the practice’s electronic health record. This program led to a 229% increase in visits to homebound patients, 17% decrease in hospital admissions, and 11% decrease in emergency department visits for patients served by this program. Cost savings were also estimated at approximately $3,000 per member per year for individuals enrolled in the health system’s accountable care organization. Initially funded by grants, the promotores were eventually integrated into the practice’s care teams.
Policy/Program Takeaways
Promotores can work with clinicians to provide care that meets the cultural, health, and social needs of Hispanic and Latino older adult patients. Providers and health systems can reference the outcomes of this program and this related article to integrate promotores or community health workers into their care teams for homebound older adults.