Integrated Service Delivery and Health-Related Quality of Life of Individuals in Permanent Supportive Housing Who Were Formerly Chronically Homeless.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the impact of an integrated care model on the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of formerly chronically homeless individuals in permanent supportive housing.

METHODS

From 2014 to 2017, eligible individuals in Houston, Texas (n = 323), were placed in 1 of 2 permanent supportive housing service delivery models. Both models included coordinated care teams. In the intervention group, teams had a single plan of care with the partnering clinic. The 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire and 36-item Short Form Survey were administered at baseline and every 6 months for 30 months. We assessed intervention group emergency department use at 2 years. We evaluated change by using hierarchical linear growth models.

RESULTS

There was a significant and clinically meaningful increase in HRQOL in the intervention group, with the intervention group reporting improvement over the comparison group. Intervention group emergency department use decreased by 70% (no comparison group).

CONCLUSIONS

Those in the intervention group with a single, coordinated plan of care reported significant and clinically meaningful increases in their HRQOL. Public Health Implications. Coordinated care models have potential to reduce societal costs and increase HRQOL, providing a financial and humanitarian justification for the continued investment in collaborative care in permanent supportive housing.