Hospitals are expected to focus more on providing care for high-acuity patients as healthcare is increasingly being delivered at home, according to Monique Reese, DNP, RN, senior vice president of home and community care at Pittsburgh-based Highmark Health.
As the landscape of healthcare changes, it is becoming increasingly common to provide low-acuity care for patients with less severe medical conditions in the home. The adoption of hospital-at-home programs helps minimize visits to the emergency department and preserve hospital resources for patients who need the most critical care.
"The pandemic really fast-tracked this development, but based on my experience as a family nurse practitioner, this is an evolution that has been going on for 15 years," Dr. Reese told technology company Philips in an Aug. 8 blog post.