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Care is moving home... USC Schaeffer Center study published in JAMA detailing the benefits of hospital at home. Benefits include: Patient Preference: Many patients prefer receiving care at home due to the comfort and familiarity of their environment, which can positively impact their recovery experience. Safety and Confidence: The majority of surveyed individuals feel safe managing medications and care at home, indicating trust in home-based healthcare services. Faster Recovery: A significant portion of respondents believe that recovery is quicker at home, potentially reducing the overall burden on healthcare facilities. Cost Efficiency: Hospital-at-home care can lower costs by reducing the need for hospital stays, which often include higher overhead and resource expenses. Policy Support: Temporary programs allowing hospital-at-home care during the pandemic have been extended, reflecting positive policy momentum and recognition of its benefits. At Corstrata, we have been providing wound and ostomy specialized virtual consultations for hospital systems that have implemented hospital at home services for over two years. These multidisciplinary, collaborative consultations increase access to scarce WOC Nurse resources- improving care at a lower cost. https://lnkd.in/eMr4AWk7 #hospitalathome #clinicaloutcomes #valuebasedcare #Corstrata #woundcare #ostomy #WOCN

The latest addition to the evidence base on virtual wards or hospital at home is this very large 5,000+ person study from Boston. The patients were mostly older with 42% over 80 and medically complex. The home cohort had low mortality, low readmission rates and low need to escalate. The research was undertaken by Mass General Brigham and the researchers’ letter in the Annuls summarising their results starts with this stark comparison. “Background: Hospitalization is the standard of care for acute illness, but hospital care is often expensive, unsafe, and uncomfortable (1). Acute hospital care at home (AHCaH) provides hospital-level care in patients’ homes as a substitute for brick-and-mortar care. Prior research has shown that compared with traditional inpatient hospital care, patients cared for in AHCaH have improved experiences and physical activity levels, with lower rates of mortality, readmission, and discharge to skilled-nursing facilities (2, 3). However, there are few data describing the experience of AHCaH at the national level.” #VirtualWards #HospitalAtHome #TheresNoPlaceLikeHome Digital Care

A study from the APJHM titled 'Improving The Quality and Sustainability of Home-Based Acute Care Models Using Virtual Care Technology' linked below, observed 151 adult and 26 paediatric patients utilise #virtualcare #technology for the majority, or all, of their home-based acute care. The use of such technology was associated with a statistically significant reduction in risk of #hospital readmission within 28 days—from 43% to 21%. The risk of hospital readmission within 28 days for the same diagnosis-related group (#drg) dropped from 18% to 4%, and the length of stay for the top three DRGs by volume decreased from a mean of 7.2 days to 4.0 days, saving an average of $3,698 per admission. The use of technology was also associated with reduced rates of unplanned ED presentations and transfers-in to traditional hospital beds compared to usual care for adults. Findings confirm there are #clinical and #economic benefits associated with embedding virtual care technology in Hospital in the Home (#HITH) service models that warrant consideration in #health systems facing capacity constraints and rising costs. Source: https://lnkd.in/gdGx9P2j Australasian College of Health Service Management (ACHSM) | SHAPE Society for Health Administration Programs in Education

Medically Home began the movement for decentralized care based on a need for a comprehensive care delivery system for patients with serious or complex illnesses. That movement has grown, and hospital at home capabilities are being introduced around the country. Recent studies are showing positive results: The AJMC published an article in late December that demonstrated two key metrics: 1) Scale: "This study demonstrates achieving scale with a daily peak of 22 patients a day, representing an average daily census of approximately 9% of 2 traditional hospitals’ combined internal medicine service census."; and 2) A 64% reduction in the likelihood that patients would experience delirium than patients admitted for traditional hospital care The link to that article is here: https://lnkd.in/gxf-rKF6 And: An article published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in January looked at patient data across hospital at home programs approved under the CMS waiver over a period of one year finding "low rates of mortality, less use of skilled nursing facilities, and less need for escalation in patient care for patients taken care of at home instead of in the hospital". https://lnkd.in/gyQ_wHZi #hospitalathome #decentralizedcare

An innovative strategy launched some 20 years ago to help overcrowded hospitals reduce their inpatient populations is now showing positive clinical outcomes. https://bit.ly/4adexkh #HealthLeaders #PatientExperience #HealthLeadersPatientExperienceWeek #CareCoordination

Time for a status check on hospital-at-home programs - check out this helpful summary by the folks at Becker's Healthcare that provides updates on the largest 8 programs across the country: - Atrium Health (Charlotte, N.C.): 45-50 patients per day - Mass General Brigham (Somerville, Mass.): 25-33 patients per day - Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minn.): 25-30 patients per day - Kaiser Permanente (Oakland, Calif.): 22-23 patients per day - Mount Sinai Health System (New York City): 15-20 patients per day - UMass Memorial Health (Worcester, Mass.): 14-16 patients per day - ChristianaCare (Newark, Del.): 12-13 patients per day - Saint Luke's Health System (Kansas City, Mo.): 10 patients per day What are the trends? Program leaders are praising it, saying it leads to several benefits related to readmission rates, costs, mortality, and patients love it. On the other hand, many challenges remain for systems of all sizes. Program enrollments are small and the market is still hoping for the CMS waiver becoming permanent to make this viable. From the article: "Hospital-at-home could also be a hard sell for health systems already struggling to fill beds or don't have the staffing or financial bandwidth to take it on." #healthcare #hospitalfinance #hospitalathome #RPM #telehealth #digitalhealth #patientcare #nursing #virtualcare

Cleveland Clinic Florida shared some key metrics about its Medically Home-partnered hospital at home program in this recent article that may be instructive for those considering adding hospital-at-home care for patient communities - From the article: - Today, the virtual hospital census ranges from 17-20 patients and admission volumes exceed 120 per month. - These patients had reduced readmission rates to the hospital and an improved patient experience. - “The patient feedback has exceeded the already high bar we set for the virtual hospital,” says Dr. Rothman. “Our Press Ganey patient experience scores surpassed those for in-hospital care while having similar medical illness severity levels, and the readmission rate trends are to-date significantly lower for Hospital Care At Home than the brick and mortar hospital (9.6% versus ~13%).” - “That represents the elimination of nearly 2,000 brick and mortar hospital days since April,” says Dr. Rothman. “Following the opening of the virtual hospital at Indian River Hospital, the daily census averaged seven patients.” Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gCJg3Zhg #hospitalathome #patientcare #patientexperience #coffeeonthefrontporch

What are virtual wards and why are electronic patient records (EPRs) so crucial? Dr Anna Bayes delves into the significance of virtual wards in allowing people to receive treatment and care where they live, rather than as a hospital inpatient, while still being in regular contact with health professionals. She also outlines how this is helping to avoid hospital admission and support early discharge and discusses the crucial role EPRs play in making this transformative concept a reality. 👉 Read the full blog here: https://lnkd.in/enKv_hjc #virtualwards #EPRs

New research from Mass General Brigham affirms the success of hospital-at-home programs established under the CMS waiver. The study reveals low mortality rates, low skilled nursing facility use, and low readmission rates at one-month post-discharge. Embracing diversity, outcomes are consistent across marginalized populations, proving home hospital care's potential to reach a diverse group of patients. Xtelligent Healthcare shares more: https://bit.ly/3ScJwWx #hospitalathome #homehealthcare #CMS

Acute Care in Senior Living: The Home Advantage A recent study from Mass General Brigham reveals significant advantages of home-based acute care over traditional hospital settings, particularly for patients with memory loss or dementia. The findings indicate that such care at home can equal or even exceed the quality found in hospitals, notably benefiting those with dementia by minimizing the disorientation and stress linked to hospital transfers. Furthermore, the study emphasizes the importance of a collaborative approach among healthcare systems, providers, and caregivers to expand home-based care options. This collaboration aims not just to enhance comfort but to ensure the delivery of the best possible care for those in greatest need. Benefits of At-Home Care: Familiar Environment, Personalized Care, Reduced Risk of Infections and Cost-Effectiveness Enhancing care through the Senior Living Ecosystem: Beyond individual homes, the broader senior living ecosystem is vital in supporting care management for those with dementia or memory loss. In addition, by merging technological advancements with the indispensable human touch, we pave the way for improved outcomes, ensuring that healthcare's future is innovative and attuned to individualized care and support. This is another thought-provoking topic for senior living providers to evaluate: how care coordination and integration can occur within the various settings of the aging services community. #HealthcareInnovation #AcuteCare #HomeCare #DementiaCare #PatientCenteredCare #SeniorLiving #TechnologyInHealthcare