A Penn Medicine pilot demonstrated the effectiveness of treating certain patients at home instead of admitting them to the hospital.
Practical alternatives to hospitalization, or Path — ran from September 2024 to June 2025 at Philadelphia-based Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, according to a Penn Medicine release. It enrolled 177 patients and aimed to deliver acute-level care in patients’ homes. The program was led by Angela Cai, MD, medical director of the Path program.
During the pilot, 90% of participants avoided hospitalization and 82% avoided another ED visit within 30 days of enrollment. Preliminary estimates show the program saved 2.6 hospital days per patient.
Path is currently paused as Penn Medicine prepares to launch a hospital-at-home program in early 2026. Leaders said both models may eventually run concurrently to serve patients with different levels of care needs.
