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Background.

The high cost of caring for patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) results primarily from frequent hospital readmissions for exacerbations. Home nurse visits after discharge can reduce readmissions, but the intervention costs are high.

Objectives.

To compare the effectiveness of three hospital discharge care models for reducing CHF-related readmission charges: 1) home telecare delivered via a 2-way video-conference device with an integrated electronic stethoscope; 2) nurse telephone calls; and 3) usual outpatient care.

Research Design.

One-year randomized trial.

Subjects.

English-speaking patients 40 years of age and older with a primary hospital admission diagnosis of CHF.

Measures.

Our primary outcome was CHF-related readmission charges during a 6-month period after randomization. Secondary outcomes included all-cause readmissions, emergency department (ED) visits, and associated …