VCU Health launches first hospital-at-home program in central Va.

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - VCU Health is launching a new program making access to care easier without leaving home.

The program is called “Home Hospital,” VCU Health says it provides at-home hospital-level care to patients with acute care needs such as sepsis or pneumonia.

“We would talk to them about the program,” said Jay Holdren with VCU Health about the conversations doctors would have with patients to see if they’re eligible for this option.

Similar to staying in a hospital, a physician will oversee your care through video and remote monitoring through equipment sent home with the patient and their family.

“The nurse, whom the physician is accustomed to working with, will get on the other end of the video camera and will have [a] conversation, assess the patient and then begin the treatment that will typically occur for three to four days,” said Holdren.

VCU Health said nurses and other staff will also visit patients in their homes and make sure they have the supplies they need, including oxygen, right at their doorstep until they are discharged.

“We’ll transition them and do a handover back to their primary care provider, so they know exactly what has transpired and the patient’s condition and they can get follow-up and treatment.”

Through this model, Holdren said this would help the medical center open bed capacity for patients in need of hospital services.

“We basically are looking at this as an opportunity, Desiree, to open up bed capacity for those who need it the most at the medical center while affording patients, who want the same great care that VCU Medical Center offers in the comfort of their own home,” Holdren said.

So far, VCU Health said two patients have gone through the program, and they’re working to enroll more. In the first year, VCU Health is aiming to serve nearly 2,000 patients in this program.

“Patient-centered care is at the heart of everything we do,” said Michael Roussos, president of VCU Medical Center, in a press release. “Home Hospital provides our patients with the choice to receive high-quality care in an environment where they are most comfortable and surrounded by people that they love. Providing our patients with this choice improves overall patient satisfaction, comfort, and -- most importantly -- health outcomes.”

To learn more about “Home Hospital,” click here.

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