After launching the Hospital Care At Home (HCAH) pilot in April 2023 to serve patients requiring acute care at Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital in Vero Beach, this care delivery model has expanded to all five Cleveland Clinic hospitals in the Florida region.
The Hospital Care At Home program was designed to admit patients to the comfort of their own home while staying in touch with their Cleveland Clinic care team – all day, every day.
A new model of care
Patients needing hospital admission are evaluated in the Emergency Department or the Medical/Surgical Inpatient Unit to determine eligibility. “Individuals who meet the criteria are offered the choice to receive hospital-level care at home or in a traditional hospital setting,” says Irene Rahman-Garcia, M.D., Medical Co-Director of Hospital Care At Home. “It’s a whole new way of looking at patient care.”
“The HCAH team cares for patients with many different medical conditions ranging from acute illnesses, infections or breathing issues to the management of flare ups of other chronic conditions affecting the heart or lungs,” says Samantha Daniel, M.D., Medical Co-Director of the program. “We are caring for patients with complex conditions that are often compounded by other chronic diseases.”
“We deliver bedside technology that allows Cleveland Clinic hospital medicine physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals to treat and monitor patients remotely, so they don’t need to physically be in one of our hospitals,” explains Dr. Daniel. “Our patients are able to contact us in real time with the push of a button.”
Patients are provided with:
- A computer tablet for video visits with nurses and physicians
- A telephone that connects directly to their care team
- A personal emergency response bracelet
- Vital signs monitoring devices
- Backup power supply
The patient experience
Danielle Crow, R.N., nurse manager for the HCAH program, notes that patient feedback has been very positive. “The patients really love it,” she says. “One patient told me she would never want to stay in the hospital again after her experience, given the choice to receive care at home. Being at home allows our patients to rest in a comfortable setting, be around their loved ones, and reduce their anxiety and stress, which is essential for healing, giving us caregivers a chance to focus on their recovery.”
Danielle describes another patient living in a group home who could hang out with his housemates once he felt better. “He didn’t experience the isolation that some patients do when they are in the hospital,” she says.
An opportunity to transform care delivery
The initial goals of the HCAH program were to improve quality, clinical outcomes and the patient experience.
Studies have shown that the hospital care at home model can result in shorter care episodes, lower readmission rates and fewer complications than traditional inpatient care. Surveys also demonstrate higher levels of patient and family member satisfaction than with traditional care.
“Since the time we launched Hospital Care at Home in April 2023, we have grown and learned so much from our experiences by listening to our patients and caregivers,” says Dr. Daniels. “We have emerged as leaders in the field with the number of patients for whom we provide care.”
According to Dr. Rahman-Garcia, patients can get more personalized care through Hospital Care at Home, with interactive teaching and counseling and plan of care discussions with their doctors daily. “The patients can include their family into these discussions in real-time, regardless of where they live – whether in their home or halfway across the country, she said. “As their hospitalists, we also get an opportunity to spend more time with them and really get to know them. We get to understand their living environment and expectations when discharging them home, tailoring to a more holistic approach to care.”
Visit ClevelandClinicFlorida/CareAtHome to learn more.