Charlotte, N.C.-based Atrium Health has launched its first pediatric hospital-at-home program.
The program, which brings high-quality care to pediatric patients’ homes, officially rolled out in February.
“The city and our region has been growing tremendously over the last five to 10 years, and we were reaching capacity constraints just as we were with our adults,” Stefanie Reed, DO, medical director at Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital at Home told Becker’s. “That’s when the conversations began. We started asking, could we do something more comprehensive for children? A true hospital-at-home program felt like what our families wanted.”
Since its launch, the program has treated nearly 30 patients, focusing on feeding, nutrition and infectious treatments.
“We wanted this to be an extension of our brick-and-mortar care,” Dr. Reed said. “Instead of focusing on specific diagnoses, we looked at inclusion and exclusion criteria—what could we safely do in the home, what made sense, and what would be comfortable for families. It also gave us room to grow as we learned what was possible.”
The program has helped some newborns get home earlier than they otherwise would have. Families participating in the program have expressed relief at being able to stay close to their support system during their child’s hospital stay.
“By allowing families to stay together—with grandparents, neighbors and other loved ones providing support—we’ve seen families thrive,” Dr. Reed said. “For children, being in a familiar environment—surrounded by pets, toys and their own bed or crib—can significantly reduce trauma and stress. Parents also benefit from sleeping in their own beds, which creates a sense of normalcy.”
Looking ahead, Atrium plans to expand the program.
“We’re purposefully moving at a slow, steady pace to make sure we’re offering safe and effective care,” Dr. Reed said. “We want our processes to be well-oiled before scaling, because we’re the first to tackle broad-scale pediatric care in this way. I anticipate that over the next six to 12 months, we’ll grow substantially.”
Dr. Reed believes patients will ultimately drive this shift toward more in-home care.
“Approaching care in this way is the model for the future,” she said. “It’s absolutely possible to implement this for children. I think we’ve only scratched the surface of what it can do for pediatric care.”
She said the model could be especially valuable for families in rural areas, where home health services are harder to access, and for children with chronic and complex conditions who are frequently hospitalized.
“This could have a significant impact on their families,” Dr. Reed said. “It’s an important factor to consider when evaluating the value of these programs and their potential.”
This isn’t Atrium’s first foray into serving patients at home. The health system operates one of the largest adult hospital-at-home programs in the nation, treating conditions including heart failure, pneumonia and COPD.
“One of the things we [the pediatric hospital-at-home team] got to do was partner with our strong and well-established adult program,” Dr. Reed said. “We’ve been able to build on the relationships and groundwork laid by those who came before us, especially in figuring out what works best with field technology. We didn’t have to reinvent the wheel—and that’s been a tremendous gift.”
