Acute-Level Care at Home: Lee Health Launches and Expands Hospital at Home Program

Last November, Lee Health introduced a Hospital at Home program to provide safe, high-quality care (at a level previously only available within the hospital) in the comfort of our patient’s own homes. This innovative program launched at Gulf Coast Medical Center, with a set number of patients focused on specific diagnoses, including pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), congestive heart failure (CHF), urinary tract infection requiring hospitalization and cellulitis.

Since November, 140 patients have been admitted to the program and overwhelmingly have had positive experiences. The Hospital at Home nurses have also reported their satisfaction, proudly sharing that they can connect with patients one-on-one and give them their undivided attention. Kristy Dutton, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, system director of Lee Health Hospital at Home, says the team has built it to feel like a concierge-type program with personalized attention and more individualized care.

When we launched the Hospital at Home program, we did so with plans to expand it beyond Gulf Coast Medical Center. We did just that when Hospital at Home at Cape Coral Hospital launched on May 8!

“With the Hospital at Home program at Cape Coral Hospital, we are not going to be limited to certain conditions; we are taking patients who are appropriate for the care we can provide in the home,” Kristy says. “We have found with the program at Gulf Coast Medical Center that most of our patients have pneumonia, heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Through Hospital at Home, we are focusing hard on preventing readmissions and patients with COPD and heart failure are two of the most readmitted.”

Like the program at Gulf Coast Medical Center, Hospital at Home at Cape Coral Hospital will treat a set number of patients to start, and it will grow over time.

Our Hospital at Home programs utilize the latest technology so patients can access expert care from hospital staff around the clock. Patients admitted to Hospital at Home receive:

• In-home assessments and treatments administered by Lee Health nurses
• Regular and as-needed video visits from a doctor or nurse
• Monitoring for temperature, pulse regularity and other important indicators of health status
• Medications, IV infusions, testing, imaging and therapy, which are brought to the home
• Food prepared and packaged by Lee Health Food & Nutrition Services and delivered by a Hospital at Home courier

Along with Lee Health, home-based hospital care has been tested and implemented at several well-known and well-regarded health systems, like Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins. There are proven workflows and processes that ensure the safe delivery of care, and significant evidence shows that home-based care improves outcomes and enhances patient experiences (thanks to reduced stress and the comforts of home).

To learn more about Hospital at Home, you can go to www.vimeo.com/1022940373 to see a video focused on the patient’s perspective and experience. You can also read about the experience of one of our first Hospital at Home patients by visiting https://tinyurl.com/HNHospitalatHome.

We are proud and excited to build on the success of Hospital at Home at Gulf Coast Medical Center by expanding the program to Cape Coral Hospital.