Could Virtual Coaching Make Caregivers Healthier?

Penn Group Finds Virtual Program May Cut Hospital Stays and Save Money

September 17, 2026

By:

Joanna Kim, MPH

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An elderly woman and female geriatric social worker holding hands

Health coaching for unpaid family caregivers not only improved their quality of life and prevented declines, but also may reduce costs, new evidence shows.

The Virtual Caregiver Coach for You program is designed to improve stress management and self-care practices of informal caregivers, often relatives who may neglect their own health while caring for others.

Virtual Coaching for Caregivers is Effective

A previous randomized controlled trial found that connecting caregivers with coaches who engaged them in video sessions on caregiving demands, stress, relaxation techniques, and more significantly improved self-care and stress scores.

Furthermore, a longitudinal analysis of the program found sustained improvements in stress and physical health-related quality of life, even after virtual coaching ended.

Scalable and Cost-Effective

Recently, LDI experts Norma Coe, Barbara Riegel, Karen Hirschman, Michael Stawnychy, Kathryn Bowles, and colleagues analyzed the cost-effectiveness of the program through a randomized controlled trial. 165 informal caregivers for heart failure patients randomly received health information or that virtual material plus up to 10 live coaching sessions from a coach over six months.

Caregivers in the coached group had lower hospitalization rates (5% versus 8%). The virtual health coaching program also offset its costs and yielded an average savings of $77.45 per caregiver over 12 months – significantly lower than the $50,000 cost-effectiveness norm.

The Virtual Caregiver Coach for You program holds promise as a highly scalable and cost-effective intervention for caregivers of patients with heart failure.

The article “Cost-Effectiveness of Virtual Health Coaching for Caregivers of Patients With Heart Failure: Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial” was published in Journal of the American Heart Association in July 2026. Authors include Chuxuan Sun, Karen B. Hirschman, Austin Matus, Michael A. Stawnychy, Miatta Goba, Ryan Quinn, Gladys Thomas, Rebecca Ashare, Deborah Gordon, Kathryn H. Bowles, Barbara Riegel, and Norma B. Coe.