The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether or not case management by a social worker and nurse can decrease the number of emergency room visits, increase the number of primary care doctor visits, and increase quality of life of people in a Medicaid managed care plan.

This study will assign participants based on Zip Code to one of two conditions: control and experimental. In the control group, participants will receive telephonic assessments at baseline, three months, and six months. These assessments will be conducted by a member of the Medical Center's Department of Geriatrics under the supervision of the Principal Investigator. Participants in the experimental group will receive medical case management provided by a nurse and social worker in the homecare setting including an in-home assessment. Assessments will be conducted at baseline, three months, and six months during routine homecare visits. Dependent variables being measured include: access to primary care physicians, emergent hospitalizations/admissions, articulation of advance directives, and quality of life. Data will be collected through the participants' medical claims and records to analyze the number of emergent hospitalizations/admissions, documentation of advance directives, and number of visits to primary care physicians. To measure participants' quality of life, the Depression Self-Rating Scale and the Clinical Anxiety Scale will be utilized. Data will be compared between and within the groups via statistical analyses. The researcher will conduct pre-post comparisons of utilization and other database-derived outcomes for both groups, comparing the 12 months prior to and up to 20 months following enrollment.

Inclusion Criteria:

• participation in a Medicaid managed care plan
• resident of identified zip codes in Brooklyn, NY
• frequent hospitalizations and low frequency of primary doctor visits

Exclusion Criteria:

• residents outside the catchment area
• patients not being managed in a Medicaid managed care plan