Boston Medical Center is launching a new hospital-at-home program
Hospital patients with conditions such as pneumonia, dehydration and heart failure have been found to experience shorter recovery times with fewer complications when they receive more cost-effective healthcare at home – and many healthcare systems have prepared for this future.
Boston Medical Center is making a new high-acuity hospital-to-home service available to help patients recover in the comfort of their homes, the health care system announced Wednesday.
Through the service, BMC provides 24-hour remote patient monitoring and offers daily e-visits to physicians, live visits to physicians and on-demand access to care teams.
WHY IT MATTERS
The expanded service combines 24-hour remote monitoring with multiple daily physician visits and technology from Boston-based Medically Home, BMC said in the announcement.
BMC said physician-led hospital-at-home care provides the same services that patients would receive during a traditional hospital stay and adheres to the same strict quality standards. It will transform healthcare delivery to improve the quality of hospital services to the community, said Dr. Alastair Bell, president and CEO of BMC, said in a statement.
Up websiteBMC said research shows that medical care at home can reduce the risks of hospital readmissions, falls, cognitive decline and secondary infections.
Once enrolled in the remote acute care unit, BMC said it equips patients with an advanced virtual hospital room kit, which includes app and web-based technologies that facilitate all medical monitoring, scheduling of home visits and real-time connectivity with healthcare providers.
Patients can expect two in-person visits from a provider daily, and more if needed, and can use on-demand real-time technology to reach their dedicated healthcare team. BMC said on its website that the kit includes:
- A tablet for remote video visits, educational content and daily care schedule.
- Telephone with direct connection to your care team – no calling necessary.
- Emergency rescue bracelet.
- Monitoring equipment to measure vital functions
- Backup power supply and backup internet
Patients also have access to the technology for clinical case management resources, home-delivered meals, infusion therapies, mobile imaging, physical and occupational therapies and more.
THE BIG TREND
Although the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently called its Acute Hospital Care at Home initiative successful in reducing hospital visits, they deemed it unsustainable due to the costs and resources required.
However, Karin Schifter-Maor, CEO of Essence SmartCare, a technology and services company for seniors and chronic care, said Healthcare IT news that the current CMS program relies too heavily on manual processes and personalized care.
RPM technologies could scale and support CMS’ home hospital program, she said in March.
“By improving the patient experience through continuous monitoring and leveraging patient data to improve operational flows, systems can ultimately meet the growing demand for home-based acute care services while optimizing resources,” said Schifter-Maor.
As organizations design hospital-home programs, they must be strategic about their use of RPM, leveraging both internal and external resources and appropriate reimbursement, said Cindy Gaines, chief clinical transformation officer at Lumeon, a clinical automation company.
“These technologies play a critical role in the home hospital by expanding in-home visits with remote monitoring data and virtual visits, giving patients access to the full range of hospital services,” she said in February.
ON THE RECORD
“Providing hospital-level care in the patient’s home allows us to increase patient access to care options, expand hospital capacity, and provide high-quality care to more of our community without additional strain on our resources,” said Bell.
Andrea Fox is editor-in-chief of Healthcare IT News.
Email: afox@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.