Arlington-based Texas Health Resources is taking a loss on hospital at home to care for patients in their preferred venue, D Magazine reported May 20.
“This isn’t a money maker for us,” Kathi Cox, ambulatory and virtual channel COO at Texas Health, told the news outlet. “This is a Medicare and Medicare Advantage program, so we’re not making margin here, and we’re doing it anyway because it’s good for patients and it’s good care. We need to be thinking about the future and how we care for patients.”
The health system recently expanded the care model to a sixth hospital — Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southlake (Texas) — even as peers in the industry have discontinued their programs for financial reasons.
Ms. Cox told the magazine the initiative will need more patient volume to succeed. That could come if the federal government extends or makes permanent CMS’ hospital-at-home waiver past September and more commercial payers enter the market.
