Executives from three health systems leading the way in developing Hospital at Home programs will discuss the benefits, drawbacks and future of the concept in this week’s Winning Edge webinar.
Hundreds of health systems and hospitals across the country are using Hospital at Home programs to treat acute care patients at home instead of in the hospital, yet the future of the program is still uncertain.
Advocates swear by the program, saying it reduces wasteful costs and improves clinical outcomes, while critics say the program is complex, leads to extra costs and isn’t best for patients or their families. And the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which crafted waivers for its Acute Hospital Care at Home (AHCaH) program during the pandemic to help providers collect Medicare reimbursement, is currently planning to end that waiver in September.
Against this backdrop, HealthLeaders will convene executives from three health systems to discuss the benefits, drawbacks and future of the Hospital at Home program in its latest Winning Edge webinar on Tuesday. The Winning Edge for Moving Forward With the Hospital at Home Strategy will take place at 1 p.m.
The panel promises to be informative. It features Stephen Dormer, MD, MPH, MSc, chief of clinical operations and medical affairs for the Healthcare at Home program at Mass General Brigham, which developed one of the earliest and most successful Hospital at Home programs in the country; Daniel Davis, MD, senior medical director of primary care and senior medical director of continuing health (Southeast Region) for Atrium Health, another front-runner in the Hospital at Home movement; and Logan Davies, MD, MBA, hospital medical director of access and throughout for Ochsner Health, which has developed one the country’s most extensive telehealth and remote patient monitoring platforms.
The panel will discuss how healthcare leaders are defining and developing ROI for these programs, which combine telehealth, remote patient monitoring and in-person care to treat selected patients in their won homes instead of hospitalizing them. We’ll also talk about how technology is integrated into the home setting, how in-person visits by care teams are scheduled, and how patients and their families are included in the planning process.
Close to 400 hospitals and health systems are following the CMS ACHaH program, which features a rigid structure but offers Medicare reimbursement. Many others are trying out different versions of the acute care at home strategy, which eliminates reimbursement but gives them the freedom to develop their own structure.
Advocates say the model could be a key strategy in reducing crowded inpatient units and improving outcomes for rural patients, as well as populations like children, veterans and those with chronic care needs.
Tune in on Tuesday to learn more.
Eric Wicklund is the associate content manager and senior editor for Innovation at HealthLeaders.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Hundreds of health systems and hospitals across the country are developing or using Hospital at Home programs to treat acute-care patients in their own homes instead of in a hospital.
Advocates say the strategy reduces stress on overcrowded hospitals, cuts down on wasteful expenses and improves clinical outcomes. Critics say the concept is too complicated, increases some costs over the long run and is more stressful for patients and their families.
Executives from Mass General Brigham, Atrium Health and Ochsner Health will join The Winning Edge on Tuesday to discuss the benefits, drawbacks and future of Hospital at Home.