St. Louis-based SSM has launched a hospital-at-home program in Wisconsin.
SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital in Madison started offering acute hospital care at home for patients with such conditions as heart failure in November.
"It is consistent with our DNA to try to figure out how to provide patient care where our patients would like to receive care, and try to do it in a cost or in a setting that is making sure we create value for our health plan," Kyle Nondorf, vice president for acute care at SSM Health in Wisconsin, told Becker's.
The program can treat up to five patients and expects to admit four to five people a month. SSM Health plans to expand the initiative to include other diagnoses and locations.
"We'll be looking really closely at making sure that we have good patient outcomes, lower readmission rates, better patient experiences," Mr. Nondorf said.
Besides in-home technology and medical equipment, patients receive two visits a day from a nurse and a daily virtual appointment with a physician.
The program is a partnership with hospital-at-home company Inbound Health, which provides services including technology and staffing.
CMS approved SSM Health for the hospital-at-home waiver in October. While that waiver program expires at the end of the year without congressional approval, SSM Health has the ability to pause hospital at home if that reimbursement lapses, Mr. Nondorf said.
SSM Health began its program in the Madison market after receiving requests from patients and getting buy-in from clinicians there.
"Like all or many tertiary and quaternary hospitals, we continue to have a challenge with being able to have beds available for higher-acuity patients needing care," Mr. Nondorf said. "The ability to care for more patients in their home allows us to free up bed capacity to care for patients who we're unable to at this time."