These days, when people with Medicare get to the hospital, they’re increasingly asked: Would you prefer using our hospital at home program? That can be an enticing option if you need acute care for any of 60 conditions like COPD, pneumonia, congestive heart failure and urinary tract infections but not for things requiring a brick-and-mortar medical center like surgery or an MRI. In 2019, people with Medicare had over 800,000 hospitalizations that could have qualified for hospital at home, according to the actuarial and consulting firm Milliman. “There’s lots of evidence that, on average, patients are more comfortable in the home,” says Pamela Pelizzari, principal and senior healthcare consultant at Milliman.
“If you’ve ever been in the hospital, it’s disruptive. It’s not restful. You’re getting disturbed constantly for lots of things.
There’s an infection risk that it makes sense to try and avoid.” With hospital at home, “we try to make sure that patients get to sleep at night at their usual sleeping hours, not wake them at weird times of day and organize the care so it allows for good rest,” says Dr. Pippa Shulman, chief medical officer at Medically Home.
Data on the quality and usefulness of hospital at home is fairly sparse. But a few studies have shown that compared to brick-and-mortar hospital stays, the in-home service lowers mortality rates, fall risks and the onset of delirium while helping patients avoid infections some get in hospitals. Stu.
