A pilot program in Canada is the latest demonstration of how hospital-level care can be successfully delivered in people’s homes.
The Intensive Hospital to Home pilot is taking place just east of Detroit, in and around the city of Windsor, Ontario. It is being run through the Erie St. Clair Local Health Integration Network and offers robust care to patients in their homes for 60 days after they leave the hospital, the Windsor Star reported.
Originally, the pilot enabled 30 days of post-discharge care, but it received an additional $1 million in funding at the end of September, allowing the increase to 60 days, according to the newspaper. The at-home services include nursing care, various types of therapy, counseling, and certain equipment such as a hospital bed or wheelchair.
Between April 1, 2017, and Jan. 9, 2018, 76 people had participated, the Star reported. After the hospital-level of care ended, about half those people remained at home, 36% went into long-term care, and the remainder either died or returned to the hospital. The home care generally totaled between $166 and $194 a day, compared to about $730 a day if the patients had remained in the hospital.
The program also helped free up hospital beds, which was especially valuable during the current bad flu season, hospital officials told the Star.
Similar programs have been undertaken in the United States. A pilot at Mount Sinai Health Network in New York City offered hospital-level care at home for certain patients who came to the emergency department, achieving good outcomes and cost savings, Mount Sinai Health Network President Arthur Klein told Home Health Care News in 2016.
Written by Tim Mullaney
Companies featured in this article:
Erie St. Clair Local Health Integration Network, Mount Sinai
