With the government shutdown thankfully behind us, health systems can get back to business with some of the innovative programs that are producing great outcomes and satisfying patients.
A growing number of Americans are receiving hospital-level care without leaving their living room, thanks to advanced technology and an evolving healthcare landscape that is delivering much more care outside the walls of the hospital.
Hospital-at-home is a transformative care model that is becoming one of the most important healthcare innovations, improving outcomes, patient satisfaction, and decreasing the cost of healthcare. Across the nation, hundreds of hospitals were forced to suspend the program during the shutdown, and either discharged patients or admitted them to the hospital.
This innovation was launched during the COVID-19 pandemic to expand hospital capacity and contain the spread of the virus. It worked so well that Congress extended the waiver to permit acute care at home twice since the pandemic, and the New Jersey Legislature passed the Hospital-at-Home Act to require Medicaid and commercial insurance to cover the service.
This is why we need Congress to step up once again and approve an extension to the waiver so that hospitals will continue to launch and expand this winning breakthrough.
In the U.S., 419 hospitals from 147 health systems in 39 states have been approved to provide hospital-at-home services as of September, according to the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. At Hackensack Meridian Health, the program has grown dramatically – 38 percent in a year – and is now offered in five of the network’s 18 hospitals. More than 1,300 patients have received care.
Not every patient is eligible. Those with conditions like pneumonia, congestive heart failure, cellulitis, and even COVID are now receiving hospital-level care directly to their homes. Patients suffering heart attack, stroke and other life-threatening conditions will always be treated in a hospital.
The care model is also dramatically different from visiting nurse care. A typical program involves a physician-led team, twice daily in-person visits from nurses or paramedics, 24/7 access to vital sign monitoring equipment and the patient’s care team, including virtual nursing and physician support, intravenous medications, oxygen therapy, X-rays, and lab tests — all administered in the patient’s residence. In short, it’s the essential care of the hospital without the walls.
Research has consistently shown that Hospital-at-Home can lead to lower mortality rates, reduced readmissions, fewer complications, decreased length of stay, and better functional outcomes. And patients are reporting overwhelmingly positive experiences, with programs achieving near-perfect satisfaction rates.
Beyond the clear patient advantages, Hospital-at-Home offers a powerful solution to a healthcare system under constant strain. We’ve all seen the headlines about emergency room overcrowding. By shifting appropriate patients to home-based care, we free up physical hospital beds for those who need them most: patients requiring major surgery, intensive care, or complex procedures. This improves capacity, reduces wait times, and allows hospitals to operate more efficiently.
Another factor to consider is the dramatic growth in the senior population, which is projected to increase nearly 50 percent over the next 25 years. Ocean County, which is in our service area, has one of the largest senior populations in the state, with about 1 in 4 people 65 or older.
So now we stand at a crossroads. We can either retreat to the old way of doing things or embrace an innovative option that will help us build the health system of the future, which is more patient-focused and effective.
To move forward, we need a concerted effort. Even though the program has reopened, Congress should act now and pass the “Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act”. The bill will extend the Hospital-At-Home program for five years, allowing these programs to stay open and continue to provide quality care. Hospitals and health systems must invest in the technology and logistical infrastructure to build and expand these programs. In the end, we all win.
Robert Garrett is the CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health, New Jersey’s largest health network with 18 hospitals, more than 500 patient care locations and the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.
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