Hospital at Home (HaH) is an amazing initiative. It’s not only in the US; healthcare systems globally, including the UK, are piling millions into investments to make HaH work. It takes the pressure off the hospitals and puts care into the community. If you know anything about healthcare, you’ll know not all patients need to be in a hospital bed. And if you really know anything about healthcare, you’ll know bed capacity is over capacity. The US has 2.35 hospital beds per 1,000 people – you do the maths.
So, HaH is the solution, but is it a reality? Read on to find out.
What is a Hospital at Home?
HaH brings acute hospital care to the patient’s home.
This model in which physicians, nurses, diagnostics, and other therapeutics go to the patient’s home, making it easier to provide comprehensive care without transferring the patient to the hospital setting. These can be agency nurses, physicians from a physician recruiter, or hospital workers that do community hours.
The HaH model came about in the 1990s, and its primary purpose was to avoid hospitalization complications: bedside infections, falls, delirium in older patients, etc. Patients receiving home health care are frequently reported to have improved study outcomes and greater comfort levels.
Patients have devices for telemedicine, treatment such as IV medication or lab tests, and video communications with the doctors. It really is like a hospital but at home. Of course, there are limitations – only patients who don’t require round-the-clock care qualify for HaH.
The Acute Hospital Care at Home Waiver
In the US, HaH took off because hospitals couldn’t accommodate patients due to bed shortages during the pandemic. To curb the issues of hospital admission and bed wastage during the pandemic, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) introduced the Acute Hospital Care at Home waiver. This waiver enhanced the hospitals’ capabilities to offer HaH care.
The waiver caused an increased interest in HaH. By March 2024, 321 hospitals operating within 133 health systems in 37 states had started operating HaH programs, thanks to the waiver. As much as it was useful, the specific waiver should finish December 31st, 2024 unless Congress decides otherwise. There are massive campaigns for it to continue and we don’t see how it can’t – it takes a massive strain off hospitals.
Advantages and Disadvantages of HaH
Of course, we have to discuss the advantages and disadvantages. Patient care and outcomes obviously improve, and so does the hospital’s ability to take inpatients who need acute, immediate, and round-the-clock attention.
Still, the prospect of expanding HaH further is not without limitations. First and foremost, caregivers point to the transient nature of the CMS waiver as an impediment – it raises doubts in the minds of the hospitals about the long-term commitment to the HaH infrastructure. Establishing a successfully operating HaH program requires working capital investments in technology, nursing education, and logistics and management of patients. In some states, legal provisions placed limits on the scope of expansion of HaH.
Overall, you can’t deny that HaH is one of the best initiatives the US healthcare system has had. Something has to be done about the massive strain on hospitals and the lack of beds. Let’s hope the waiver stays in at the end of the year.
The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.
