Despite its potential to provide high-quality care while reducing costs, California is not implementing Hospital-at-Home (HaH) programs on a larger scale.
In contrast to other states that offer financial support for such programs through Medicaid and extend Medicare exemptions to facilitate their implementation, California has yet to adopt this approach on a broader level.
Key Takeaways
California is falling behind other states in implementing Hospital-at-Home programs despite their potential benefits of high-quality care at lower costs.
- Research shows that Hospital-at-Home programs are safe and effective, improving patient outcomes and reducing healthcare costs.
- However, these initiatives face challenges such as lack of payment from payors, high upfront costs, and skepticism from clinicians and patients.
- To overcome these hurdles, healthcare providers must invest in telehealth infrastructure and commit to ongoing training for clinicians to deliver remote care effectively.
The benefits and challenges of HaH programs
Research consistently demonstrates that these programs are both safe and effective in delivering acute care to patients outside the confines of traditional hospitals.
Not only do they improve patient outcomes, but they also contribute to significant reductions in healthcare costs.
For instance, in a program at the University of Chicago Medicine, patients are provided with medical equipment, medication, lab tests, and daily meals at home. A nurse visits each patient twice a day, while daily telehealth sessions with a physician ensure continuous care and monitoring.
However, HaH initiatives face a few challenges despite their potential benefits.
A major hurdle is the lack of payment from payors, which makes it difficult for hospitals to invest in these efforts. High upfront costs and skepticism from both clinicians and patients also contribute to slow adoption.
The Acute Hospital Care at Home (AHCaH) program under Medicare is behind a growing number of hospital-at-home programs in various states. The initiative allows hospitals to provide acute care services to patients in their homes, helping reduce hospital congestion and improve access to care.
As of March 2024, 321 hospitals across 37 states were approved to participate in the AHCaH initiative.
A recent study by researchers at Mass General Brigham found favorable outcomes in implementing the AHCaH waiver-related Hospital-at-Home programs.
The most common discharge diagnoses in the program included heart failure, respiratory infections (including those caused by COVID-19), sepsis, urinary and kidney infections, and cellulitis.
Preparing for virtual consultations
Healthcare providers must prepare for virtual consultations by investing in telehealth infrastructure to implement hospital-at-home programs effectively.
Additionally, healthcare organizations must commit to ongoing training and support for clinicians, ensuring they are equipped to deliver effective remote care outside traditional hospital settings by using cutting-edge telehealth technology.
