This randomized, controlled trial evaluates the cost-benefit of a case management project for older persons in Hong Kong. Case managers provided integrated care to participants in an intervention group while participants in a control group received conventional care only. Minimum Data Set-Home Care was used to assess health conditions, and hospital admissions were used as the basis to calculate health care costs. After the intervention, hospital admissions were reduced by 36.8% in the intervention group (p = .01) and 20.4% in the control group. The total number of acute hospital bed-days decreased by 53.1% in the intervention group (p < .05), compared to 4.4% in the control group. Compared with the control group, U.S.$170,448 was saved in acute hospital care and community health services in the intervention group. Well-planned case management interventions reduced hospital admissions and the length of stay in hospitals with corresponding savings in total health care costs.

A 12-month randomised controlled trial was conducted in Hong Kong to evaluate the effectiveness of case management provided to a group of home-dwelling, frail elderly patients (control group: n = 47; intervention group: n = 45) in terms of utilisation of hospital services by these patients.Significant reductions (significance at P р 0.05) in mean total number of hospital bed-days (P < 0.001), mean total episodes of hospital admissions (P < 0.001), and mean total number of attendances at the outpatient department (P < 0.05) were observed when the baseline and post-intervention differences between the intervention and control groups were compared.The study demonstrated that utilisation of hospital services could be significantly reduced when a group of elderly patients and their caregivers received timely interventions and appropriate

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Eighty-three hospital-discharged elders were served by a social work case manager in our 18-month case management project in July 2000. Results indicate that elderly care-recipients utilized less hospital services without sacrificing the quality-of-life of their informal carers. This paper shares the experience in the process of case management interventions and suggests strategies to implement case management interventions successfully.