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Evaluation
 The comprehensive AAI evaluation project ensures that the centers meet expected outcomes as originally intended from the legislative language and the strategic plan. Thus, the AAI plan for evaluation includes internal and external components. Internally, the AAI has conducted two pilot studies: consumer satisfaction of health care from an interdisciplinary team approach and the development of a methodology for studying the financial impact that a senior health clinic has on its rural owner hospital.
The consumer satisfaction study compared patient satisfaction between care received by the interdisciplinary geriatric team and the traditional health care delivery system in two clinical sites. The results showed a statistically significant increase in patient satisfaction after one year.
Using a case-study approach, the second study collected data for a 12-month period on a geriatric provider-based outpatient clinic and the associated downstream revenue. Findings showed a loss. However, a large gap occurred between the Medicare allowable charges and actual collections. In addition, this study had a major limitation because the hospital’s financial and data systems could only track physicians, not geriatric patients.
In addition to the internal evaluations, several external entities have extensively evaluated the AAI. They include: the Lewin Group from Virginia (funded by the AAI), the International Longevity Center (ILC) of New York (funded by an ILC board member), and the Rand Corporation from California and Pennsylvania (retained and funded by the Arkansas Tobacco Commission as an external evaluator to all tobacco funded programs).
Future Evaluation Plans
- Examine how interdisciplinary geriatric care is associated with the receipt of recommended medical care processes and health care outcomes among older person with diabetes. This is also a first attempt to include the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) into a study which is part of a demonstration project from CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid) in which Arkansas is one of four states to be included.
- Expand the SCH financial study to include more sites and more comprehensive data.
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