Resources

Postal Service “Call & Check Visits” for Isolated, Frail Elderly in the Community

Hindmarsh M. Postal Service “Call & Check Visits” for Isolated, Frail Elderly in the Community. Cambridge, MA: Institute for Healthcare Improvement; 2017.

“Call & Check Visits” is a program developed by Jersey Post in Jersey, British Channel Islands, in which postal service workers check on isolated, frail elderly residents in the community. During a five-minute visit, postal workers deliver prescription refills, remind clients of upcoming medical visits, and ask about their health and social needs. Clients’ concerns are then conveyed to health care providers or community support organizations by Jersey Post customer service representatives after the visits.

Background

The Commonwealth Fund, in collaboration IHI, established the International Program for US Health Care System Innovation to identify promising frontline delivery system approaches to health care from abroad that might be transferred to the United States to improve quality of care, control costs, and increase value. This case study presents one of the four selected innovations for which a site visit was conducted, describing the innovation in the local context and discussing considerations for implementing the innovation in the US health care system.

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Postal Service “Call & Check Visits” for Isolated, Frail Elderly in the Community

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Postal Service “Call & Check Visits” for Isolated, Frail Elderly in the Community

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