Headline
Case study describes experiences and lessons in implementing a hospital at home program that first launched in 2023.
Background
The authors describe key steps for preparing to implement a hospital at home program, including aligning on measures of success, assessing the need for external partnership to implement the program, establishing a virtual command center to monitor patients at home, developing patient selection criteria, and fostering innovation and continuous quality improvement.
Findings
Lessons for implementation related to a range of topics, including:
- Developing patient eligibility criteria that centers quality, safety, and patient experience;
- Adapting care processes for the home environment, including reimagining existing processes;
- Communicating the value of the model to frontline clinicians and responding to their concerns;
- Building patient acquisition into provider workflows;
- Aligning the hospital at home program with organizational goals and needs, including cost and productivity goals; and
- Identifying partners as needed with experience to support effective, timely implementation.
Policy/Program Takeaways
The Acute Hospital Care at Home program through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services provided an opportunity for greater coverage of hospital at home programs beginning in 2020. The lessons on hospital at home implementation in this case study may be valuable to inform future efforts of health systems and hospitals to develop and refine these programs, potentially as part of this waiver.