Nemours Children’s Health has launched an innovative hospital-at-home program for pediatric patients—the first in the country designed by a freestanding children’s hospital.
In the six months since the launch of the Advanced Care at Home program, it has expanded from five patients per day to 75. In a 30-day pilot period, the at-home care model averted 27 readmissions, prevented 91 ER visits and returned 177 hospital days to families.
The program is a 24/7 clinical virtual model designed for children who are medically stable but require additional medical care and oversight. One common condition that the program treats is infants who need to learn to feed in the hospital after a surgery. The program could provide a Bluetooth-enabled weight scale and pulse oximeter for parents to use before and after each feeding, to ensure they are meeting nutritional requirements…