The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has introduced transitional care management (TCM) programs to try to ensure that chronically ill and  elderly patients are  properly taken care of after discharge. But  a study in the American Journal of Medical Quality  suggests that the overall effectiveness of these programs, while perhaps promising, is far from proven.

“The few identified studies through our systematic review show promising efficacy data on the impact of TCM visits on hospital readmission rates,” said senior investigator Roberto Cardarelli.

“However, it also highlights that effectiveness studies are needed to further understand its impact in real-world settings and what attributes of the TCM process cause this impact.”