Third, the issue of reducing total costs is especially critical for care of the elderly because of growing needs and limited resources. Whether managed care programs that rely more heavily on community-based care of the elderly will actually reduce costs is an open question. The challenge of improving quality of care for the elderly deserves special attention. By improving continuity of care, focusing on common geriatric problems, and examining the total costs of care so that we can better allocate scare resources, we can improve our practices and avoid tragedies such as the one that befell Dr. Berwick's father. Michael D. Cantor, MD, JD Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for Aged Boston, MA 02131 References 1.
Quality comes home.
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