The Future of Home Health project sought to support transformation of home health and home-based care to meet the needs of patients in the evolving U.S. health care system. Interviews with key thought leaders and stakeholders resulted in key themes about the future of home health care. By synthesizing this qualitative research, a literature review, case studies, and the themes from a 2014 Institute of Medicine and National Research Council workshop on "The Future of Home Health Care," the authors articulate a vision for home-based care and recommend a bold framework for the Medicarecertified home health agency of the future. The authors also identify challenges and recommendations for achievement of this framework.

These findings suggest that efforts to improve compliance with infection control practices in home healthcare should focus on strategies to alter perceptions about infection risk and other attitudinal factors.

One indicator of quality home healthcare is the prevention of rehospitalization. This study explored factors that place patients at risk for repeat hospitalizations after home healthcare admission. One year of outcomes assessment information data from a large home health agency was used to identify 7,393 patients who had at least one episode of rehospitalization. Results revealed that after the data had been adjusted for age and gender, a number of demographic, clinical, and functional factors predicted repeat hospitalizations. Home health agencies that focus on these risk factors may improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their efforts to prevent rehospitalization.