On May 13, 2021, Mayo Clinic and Kaiser Permanente announced they have invested $100 million in Medically Home as they map out a blueprint for complex in-home care as reported in Modern Healthcare. They have piloted this program where nurses, physician assistants, and community paramedics deliver in-person care with the help of a 24/7 command center staffed by clinicians and an integrated care team. This model can treat routine infections, chronic diseases, emergency care, cancer, acute COVID-19 cases, infusions, lab and imaging tests rehabilitation, behavioral health, and transfusions.
This is a very interesting trend in patient care that, as an advocate, I can think of many times a client would have been served well with this care rather than having to go out of the home to the emergency room, urgent care, or their physician's office. Sometimes people delay necessary care because they are not feeling well, do not want to bother anyone, and just don't understand the importance of getting prompt care.
Mayo Clinic and Kaiser conducted a pilot program on this Medically Home model and readmission rates dropped and patient satisfaction improved as compared to traditional hospitalizations. How healing and beneficial to be treated and supported in the comfort of your own home. The level of stress is minimized which would be a huge benefit as well as the cost savings. As noted in the article, Dr. John Halamka, president of Mayo Clinic Platform, states, "When we enter a patient's home, we are forced to assess the whole patient, the whole family and the social determinants of health." This provides a much clearer picture of the patient's physical and psychosocial status, which is invaluable.
The pandemic has provided the opportunity to move this model forward as hospitals were forced to free up in-patient beds, telehealth became more available and allowable and the regulations and reimbursements aligned to make this possible. The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospitals Without Walls program brings the much-needed regulatory and financial support to make this all happen and also provides a level of safety.
Medically Home estimates that 30% of hospitalized patients can benefit from its services. As nurse patient advocates, we will be watching this trend closely. We think it is an extremely positive development and it will provide a more holistic view of a patient as well as providing care and comfort at home, where most people want to remain.