Most people are aware that after you are discharged from a hospital you may need home health care for a while to help you get back on your feet. What most people do not know, however, is that some hospitals offer the option to have acute medical care from your home with a hospital care at-home program. A hospital care at-home program offers hospital-level care directly from your home with the use of a hospital's implemented system. This article will help you understand the basics of these programs, to determine if one of these programs would be a good fit for your needs.
Diagnoses That Qualify You for a Hospital at-Home Program
Though not all illnesses and diagnoses will qualify you for a hospital care at-home program, there are several that do. The most common conditions are community-acquired pneumonia, congestive heart failure, and chronic pulmonary disease. Sometimes, these programs are also used for patients with kidney disease, infections, and cancer diagnoses.
Services Provided Through a Hospital at-Home Program
Not all hospital care at-home programs are the same, but, as stated in their name, they do all provide you with hospital-level care from the comfort of your home. Access to skilled nursing visits is a standard part of the practice. Video calls or house calls from your doctor are also a crucial part of the programs.
One of the main components of a hospital care at-home program is remote vital sign monitoring. Diagnostic studies, such as blood lab work, are offered, as well as intravenous therapy, such as fluids, antibiotics, and medication. Along with that, oxygen therapy, respiratory therapy, and pharmacy services are usually included. Mobile imaging, such as X-rays, electrocardiograms, and echocardiograms, is typically available as well.
The Process of Being a Part of a Hospital at-Home Program
When you are admitted to an emergency department or released after a hospital stay, you will be assessed by your doctor to see if you qualify for their hospital care at-home program. After you are evaluated, you will be paired with one of the doctors from the program. Following your admission into their system, you can go home. Patients can also be transported by ambulance when necessary.
Once you are home you will have access to skilled nursing care, sometimes even 24 hours a day. When that is no longer needed, you will continue to have daily nursing visits to monitor your status, and video calls or house calls from a doctor until you are ready to be discharged from the system.
Benefits of a Hospital at-Home Program
There are many benefits for hospitals when using hospital care at-home programs. Improved hospital capacity and reduced costs are some of the great effects of these programs.
The biggest benefit, however, is to the patients. Patient's mental health will improve when they are in their own environment where they are comfortable. They are also going to experience less unnecessary medical testing, and reduce their risk of hospital-related injections.
Having the option to receive hospital-level care is one of the great things to come from advancements in the medical field. Talk to your doctor to see if you qualify for a hospital care at-home program.
Share24 August 2021
When my mother fell at home and broke her hip, we all thought that we were going to have no choice to put her in a nursing home when she got out of the hospital. My mother had always asked us kids to avoid putting her in any kind of home, but we didn’t know what else we could do. None of us were capable of giving her the kind of rehabilitation and care that she needed. Then her doctor suggested that we find out if her insurance covered in-home care. I didn’t even know that that was an option. I was pleased to discover that in-home care was covered by her plan. Now she gets great care from nurses and nurse assistants that come right to her in her home, where she wants to be. It’s a great option, and I’m so glad we have it.
