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New Evidence That AAA-Health Care Partnerships Lead to Reduced Health Care Spending and Usage

A new article in Health Affairs confirms what AAA directors and staff already know—when AAAs work with health care to address the social determinants of health, health outcomes improve and spending decreases. The article, Linking Health And Social Services Through Area Agencies On Aging Is Associated With Lower Health Care Use And Spending, is accompanied by a blog post that touts the value of AAAs in addressing COVID-19 in pandemic in communities around the country.

AAAs have been increasingly partnering with partnering with hospitals, managed care organizations and mental health organizations to address the health-related social needs of older adults and people with disabilities. A growing body of evidence suggests that these partnerships have the potential to lead to increased health outcomes, cost savings and reduced health care usage.

Linking Health And Social Services Through Area Agencies On Aging Is Associated With Lower Health Care Use And Spending examines survey data from over the course of five years. In their analysis, researchers Amanda L. Brewster, Traci L. Wilson, Jennifer Frehn, Diane Berish and Suzanne R. Kunkel find that such partnerships have the potential to yield reduced health care use and related costs. Counties that were covered by AAAs that partnered with health care saw a significant reduction of $135.50 per beneficiary per year in Medicare spending.

Read the abstract in Health Affairs to learn more about how AAAs are impacting health care for older adults and people with disabilities.

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USAging Fact: Learn about your peers’ work—and how it can fit into your agency’s goals! The AIA Awards recognizes successful and innovative programs that USAging members have developed to serve older adults. Get inspiration from our 2023 winners!