9. Conclusion and Future Plans

from TIPs Research Report 2021

8. Analysis

Health care is a constantly changing field, and the telehealth revolution is no exception. For populations with limited access to care, bringing care to the patients at their place of residence has the potential to alter the culture of health. This report indicates promise for TIPs as a telehealth program to improve the lives of those who participate. We consistently delivered services to residents at their place of residence. Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, we were able to modify TIPs on-the-run to ensure that participants received the intended services. The provision of the telehealth service, together with wrap around services, helps to begin to address the health inequities that exist and delivers a meaningful and valued health resource to this underserved community.

Although hospitalizations were largely unchanged, we saw considerable improvements in 30-day readmissions, self-reported measures of physical and mental health, and increased COVID vaccine take-up. Initial assessments indicate that the TIPs program has the potential to become cost-effective, and the increased ability to receive reimbursements from insurance for telehealth services will only bolster that potential.

TIPs is an ongoing program. Participants continue to attend weekly sessions, receive alerts, and have access to wrap-around services. We will continue with the above analysis to assess if the impacts persist over time. Further analysis will also let the dust from the pandemic settle so that our analysis is not confounded by any changes in health behaviors or outcomes because of COVID.

Since hospitalizations are an extreme outcome and TIPs has the ability to transform participants’ health in many ways, we seek to explore the myriad ways in which health may be affected. The improvements in self-reported health and COVID vaccine take-up are encouraging signs of the wide range of possible effects from telehealth services. To further assess other health outcomes, we will explore additional outcomes such as medication adherence, primary care visits, and confidence about health status and the degree to which individuals feel that they have some control over their lives.

9. Conclusion and Future Plans

Preserving wellbeing and creating a culture of health may assist residents beyond their health to affect economic outcomes, such as maintaining their housing situation. By improving their management of health conditions and reducing the need for hospitalizations and/or emergency care, residents will save money on co-pays for medical treatment and/or transportation costs to access medical services. Through participation in TIPs and access to an RSC, residents will have access to greater levels of resident services and program offerings, such as Benefits Checks and help accessing utility supplements and rebates. Providing residents with ways to improve their financial stability and increase disposable income will assist in housing stability. In future analyses, we plan to investigate the impact of TIPs and the associated wraparound services delivered by Resident Services Coordinators on housing stability and housing affordability.

If the TIPs program is able to improve health outcomes and housing stability, it has the potential to create opportunities for new sources of funding for telehealth services. Health systems that experience reduced expenses for hospital admissions and re-admissions may benefit from subsidizing telehealth services. Property owners who experience lower resident turnover and higher on-time payments may choose to invest in telehealth services. Such investments have the potential to further spread telehealth services to improve the health and economic well-being of affordable housing residents.

Preserving wellbeing and creating a culture of health may assist residents beyond their health to affect economic outcomes, such as maintaining their housing situation. By improving their management of health conditions and reducing the need for hospitalizations and/or emergency care, residents will save money on co-pays for medical treatment and/or transportation costs to access medical services. Through participation in TIPs and access to an RSC, residents will have access to greater levels of resident services and program offerings, such as Benefits Checks and help accessing utility supplements and rebates. Providing residents with ways to improve their financial stability and increase disposable income will assist in housing stability. In future analyses, we plan to investigate the impact of TIPs and the associated wrap-around services delivered by Resident Services Coordinators on housing stability and housing affordability.