At-home care programs, sometimes called “Hospital at Home” models, give patients the same type of care they would get in a hospital, but in their own homes. These programs have been studied for many years but became much more popular recently because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic pushed the use of telehealth and remote monitoring faster.
Wise Health System in Dallas-Fort Worth is one hospital system that uses at-home care. They work with Biofourmis, a company in Boston that makes AI technology. Together, they started an at-home care program that uses remote patient monitoring devices. This program helps patients with ongoing or recent health problems get hospital-level care without staying in the hospital. Patients get a “virtual bed kit” that has wearable sensors to track vital signs, blood pressure cuffs, and tablets to talk to their care teams.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) support this kind of care through their Acute Hospital at Home program. This program lets hospitals get paid the same way as if the patient was treated in a regular hospital. This helps hospitals choose to care for patients at home when it is safe and effective.
Technology is very important for at-home care programs to work well. Remote patient monitoring (RPM) is a key part. RPM devices include wearable biosensors, blood pressure monitors, glucose meters, and smart scales. These tools keep track of vital signs and other health information. They can spot signs that a patient’s health is getting worse or better and send that information to doctors right away.
Biofourmis’ Hospital@Home solution, used by Wise Health System, mixes RPM with AI to analyze health data in real time. Doctors then decide if the patient can stay at home or if they need to go to the hospital. The monitoring happens all day and night, and doctors visit the patients in person twice each day.
Johns Hopkins University found that hospital-level care at home can lower costs by more than 30% per stay, while keeping patient health the same or better. Other studies say that healthcare costs could drop by as much as 52% when patients get acute care at home. Also, hospital infections, which happen to 1 in 31 patients every day, can be much lower when patients avoid long hospital stays.
These systems use high-quality monitoring tools along with virtual visits, symptom tracking, medication reminders, and communication with caregivers. This keeps care going smoothly and helps doctors step in when needed. It helps hospitals use their beds better and can shorten the time patients need to be in the hospital.
At-home care programs bring several benefits to healthcare groups and people who run medical practices:
The home healthcare market is growing because of these benefits. It is worth over $100 billion now and is expected to grow to more than $176 billion by 2032, helped by technology, patient choices, and the need to save money.
People leading health organizations that use at-home care have shared positive thoughts about these programs. Kimberly Cantrell, the Director of Care Management at Wise Health System, says their Hospital@Home program cuts costs, improves results, and gives patients a better experience. The program responds to local healthcare needs without lowering quality.
Juan Vallarino, CEO of myLaurel which gives in-home healthcare and works with Ochsner Health, says digital tools and remote monitoring help patients avoid emergency room visits. He points out that while technology is important, care must focus on the patient. Providers see stronger bonds with patients and happier patients when they give care at home. This can lower hospital readmissions and help manage chronic diseases better.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and workflow automation are important in at-home care programs. AI improves how remote monitoring data is looked at, helping doctors make better choices and work more efficiently.
AI looks at the continuous health data from wearable sensors and other devices. It finds patterns and spots early signs when a patient might be getting worse. This helps doctors act early before emergencies happen. For example, AI can detect strange heartbeats, blood pressure changes, or early breathing problems. By checking large amounts of data automatically, AI helps doctors focus on the patients who need care right away.
AI-powered systems can answer phone calls and schedule appointments. These tools reduce the work for healthcare staff by handling patient calls, sending reminders about medicine or appointments, and sorting urgent concerns. This lowers missed messages and improves care coordination.
Simbo AI is a company that makes phone automation for front offices. Their solutions help at-home care programs keep good communication between patients and care teams. Automated answering can deal with common questions and book virtual or in-person visits without overwhelming staff.
AI tools can work with electronic health records (EHRs) and telehealth systems to automate tasks like paperwork, billing, and managing care. For medical leaders, this means less manual work and more time to care for patients. AI can spot high-risk patients, suggest care plans, and check if care guidelines are followed. This supports care focused on value and matches CMS payment models.
Besides patient monitoring, AI can analyze data to give hospitals important information about program results, readmission risks, and resource use. These reports help improve programs and let health leaders make better choices as at-home care grows.
Rules and payment changes have helped hospital-level care at home grow. The CMS Acute Hospital Care at Home program started during COVID-19 lets hospitals bill and get paid for inpatient care at home just like normal hospital stays. This removes big money barriers for care at home.
This rule change has made more hospitals and systems try at-home care. Medicare expects to save $10 billion to $15 billion over the next ten years if more people get at-home care. Savings come from fewer hospital stays, lower readmissions, and less emergency room use.
Private health insurers are also starting to make payment plans that support care at home. This matches a bigger move to paying for value and cutting costs. Still, more policy work, like standard billing codes and rule waivers, may be needed to keep this growth going everywhere.
As more patients want safe, easy, and good care, at-home care programs will likely become common, especially in busy cities like Dallas-Fort Worth, New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Technology like AI, smart devices, telehealth, and workflow tools will help this growth.
Care given at home will probably expand beyond acute care. It may include more complex treatments like chemotherapy, brain rehabilitation, and hospice care. Health systems that start these programs early will probably see better patient results, lower costs, and more efficient operations.
For medical managers and IT leaders, putting money into technology for remote monitoring, AI data analysis, and communication automation is important. Working with companies like Biofourmis for clinical tech and Simbo AI for office automation can help meet challenges and chances of at-home care.
At-home care programs are becoming a bigger part of healthcare in the U.S. This is because of new technology, changes in rules, and care models focused on patients. Remote patient monitoring and AI let these programs give hospital-level care at home, which cuts costs and improves health results. Automation for communication and work tasks helps healthcare providers give better, coordinated care. As these programs grow, healthcare managers need to understand the technology and work needed to add at-home care into their systems.
The at-home care program aims to expand care for patients with post-acute and chronic conditions by leveraging AI-based remote patient monitoring technology.
Wise Health System is partnering with Biofourmis, a Boston-based company that offers AI-driven technology to enhance patient care.
Wise Health System operates in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area.
The solution includes clinical care tools, program management, revenue cycle management, and a virtual bed kit for patients.
The virtual bed kit contains a wearable biosensor for vital signs monitoring, a blood pressure cuff, and a tablet for communication with the care team.
Clinicians will examine patients in-person twice a day in addition to continuous virtual monitoring of vital signs.
AI-powered devices will be used to assess whether patients are stable at home or require hospitalization.
The program allows patients to receive hospital-level care at home, providing reimbursement to providers as if they were inpatients.
The prevalence of at-home hospital systems has increased, highlighting the benefits recognized by both patients and providers.
The initiative aims to reduce costs, improve health outcomes, and enhance the patient experience through effective hospital-at-home services.
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