Saving Healthcare Costs in the Real-World: Implementation of CAPABLE in Population-Based Care

The need for evidence-based services that help older adults thrive in the community aligns with the economic need to lower costs while achieving better outcomes. Some hospitals with global budgets have started paying for community-based care to decrease hospitalizations. We evaluated health, utilization, and cost outcomes associated with CAPABLE, a time-limited intervention to improve daily function, among 205 participants. The Johns Hopkins Hospital has paid for CAPABLE because it may decrease avoidable hospitalizations while improving outcomes. We used a difference-in-difference approach to compare outcomes for participants and non-participants. Avoidable charges were significantly less for CAPABLE participants compared to non-participants (p = 0.02) between 2016 and 2022. While not achieving statistical significance, participants experienced fewer avoidable hospitals stays and readmissions. Participants had significant improvements in functional outcomes and decreased depression scores. Implementing CAPABLE has potential to yield cost-saving and health improving benefits for hospitals with global budgets and insurers by reducing preventable hospitalizations.