Consumers are settling back into their busy lives, reinforcing their desire for convenient healthcare services and virtual care options. As healthcare organizations contemplate, “What’s next?” consumers may already have the answer.
Research from Huron finds that consumer openness to healthcare at home is on the rise, with 60% of respondents indicating interest, up from 41% in 2019. While healthcare at home has been typically associated with older adult care, the survey finds consumers ages 18 to 54 are showing the greatest interest, signaling untapped potential for health systems.
Leading organizations like Mayo Clinic have announced deep investments in acute hospital care at home and many others have recently followed.
“While there’s some uncertainty for how various payors will support reimbursement for these services, there is substantial opportunity for healthcare leaders to transform their acute care strategies with hospital at home programs to support better outcomes for their patients, providers, and organization,” says Frank Winegar, managing director at Huron.
6 Benefits of Delivering High Acuity Care at Home
1. Quality of Care Delivery
Studies have proven that providing hospital-level care in the home for patients with moderate to high acuity levels can improve quality measures for certain types of patients. A study from the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)[1] found that readmissions were reduced by 26% for at-home patients compared with patients staying in a traditional hospital setting. Behavioral health outcomes and length of stay are other opportunity areas hospital at home programs can influence.
2. Financial Enhancements
Higher quality care outcomes, typically lead to higher CMS Star Ratings and improved Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) scores, generating increased reimbursement.
Additionally, acute care in the home offers health systems a way to increase capacity more efficiently, especially in space-restrained facilities, and rely on a variety of labor to better manage workforce costs and maximize physician time. As providers and payors begin to realize financial benefits, this value could be transferred to consumers through direct cost and insurance premiums.
3. Strategic Growth and Care Innovation
Hospital care at home programs provide an avenue to strategically position organizations in the high-growth virtual care market. Furthermore, delivering care outside the hospital can help alleviate throughput issues and allow systems to scale bed capacity quickly, enabling immediate responses to unexpected surges in patient demand. With a foundation in place, organizations open opportunity for growing post-acute capacity through the expansion of service lines or scaling with strategic partners.
4. Social Determinants of Health and Wellness
Providing acute care in the home makes it possible for providers to understand how patients manage their conditions in their home environment and adjust treatment plans to fit the patient’s lifestyle. Providers can more easily identify gaps in basic needs and connect patients with community resources. With a personalized approach, patients feel empowered to take a more active role in their health and recovery, leading to better outcomes.
5. Patient Experience
With less pressure to turn over beds, acute care in the home naturally elicits a more connected and personalized experience where patients can appreciate the comfort of their own bed and environment while being surrounded by friends and family. This familiarity can help reduce anxiety and stress and improve overall well-being, leading to faster recovery.
6. Provider Experience
In Huron’s survey of nurses, physicians, and staff, 31% of healthcare professionals have considered leaving their jobs in the next year, and close to two-thirds report feeling frequently burned out in the past six months. As health systems look for new ways to boost employee engagement and satisfaction, acute care at home models offer a change in environment more conducive to developing deeper connections with patients and their families.
Taking the First Step
“Education and communication are central to overcoming hesitancy from internal and external stakeholders and building a robust, thriving program,” says Winegar.
Partnerships and alliances can help organizations overcome barriers and launch hospital at home programs more efficiently by leveraging their experience and expertise, from selecting and negotiating with technology vendors to facilitating clinical partnerships.
[1] Hospital-at-Home Interventions vs In-Hospital Stay for Patients With Chronic Disease Who Present to the Emergency Department. Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8188269/