ChristianaCare has introduced the Hospital Care at Home program.
The program features visits to the home in lieu of hospitalizations for those with chronic conditions.
Featured in the video below is Edwin Bryson, who was treated for diabetes complications that were causing extreme pain in one foot.
| ChristianaCare has used the program for more than a dozen patients in the hospital care at home program since it launched in December 2021. designed in partnership with the Medically Home Group Inc., the program, which offers the highest level of in-home acute care in Delaware, combines virtual and in-person care provided by a team of physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, and other providers. In-person and virtual visits from the health care team, along with mobile imaging and lab services, delivery services for meals and nutrition, and pharmacy medication and management, mean a patient doesn’t need to leave home to get better. Virtual technology and home health equipment brought into the patient’s home ensure round-the-clock monitoring and care that mirrors a traditional hospital setting. “One of the things we’ve learned in a short time about the hospital care at home program is how patient-centered this approach is and how we’re able to customize the care we deliver,” said Sarah Schenck, M.D., medical director of the program.“Most of the things we can do in the hospital we can also do at home. And it turns out patients really prefer that venue. They’re in their own home with their loved ones, their pets, sleeping in their own bed and eating their own food.” To be considered for hospital care at home, patients must live within 25 miles of Christiana and Wilmington hospitals. Patients who come to the emergency department with common chronic conditions such as congestive heart failure, respiratory ailments, diabetes complications and infections like pneumonia, are eligible for consideration .All hospital care at home patients receive a technology kit that connects them to the command center from ChristianaCare Center for Virtual Health. According to a release, clinical research studies comparing patients in traditional hospitals with patients who received hospital-level care at home have found those who received in-home care experienced fewer readmissions, lower mortality rates, reduced falls, and lower costs. “Patient satisfaction is really high with this program,” said Steaphine Taggart, director of operations for the program. “There’s more caregiver interaction with families because they are allowed to come into the home. And overall, there’s more patient-centered care and delivery because it’s in the home.” |
