Part 1: Why Speed Matters - Timely Home Health Access Drives Utilization

Timely access to Home Health following hospital discharge is a critical determinant of whether patients receive Home Health services at all. Medicare FFS claims data show that Washington State significantly underperforms the nation in speed of Home Health admissions.

In 2024, only 38.8% of Washington Medicare FFS patients were admitted to Home Health within two days of hospital discharge, compared to a national average of 68.4%, making Washington the 4th slowest state in the country. Performance following SNF discharge is similarly low: 49.9% within two days, versus 70.8% nationally. Nearly every Home Health agency in Washington admits patients more slowly than the national benchmark.

Timeliness and Utilization Move Together

Speed matters because access is a key driver of utilization. Nationally, Home Health utilization averages 80.9 admissions per 1,000 Medicare FFS beneficiaries, while Washington averages just 48.6 admissions per 1,000, well below the national.

Communities with more timely admissions have stronger overall utilization, suggesting that delayed access suppresses appropriate Home Health use rather than reflecting a community’s lack of clinical need.

SPOKANE STANDS OUT: the six Home Health agencies in Washington that most frequently admit patients within two days of hospitals discharge are all based in Spokane. As a result, Spokane has one of the highest Home Health utilization rates in the state (Spokane County: 66.0  vs  WA State: 48.6)

Spokane County is a local example demonstrating that faster Home Health access is achievable within Washington today – and that improving timeliness can meaningfully expand access to care in the community.

To learn more about key trends in your community of service, contact Berg Data Solutions at sarah@bergdatasolutions.com or marc@bergdatasolutions.com.