The world of healthcare is ever-evolving, especially when new technology is being adopted. One such new area is healthcare at home. Although we were forced into fully remote operations with COVID-19, we have been making modifications along the way and have discovered how beneficial it can be to our organizations and our patients. To make further strides though, we have to understand where we’ve come from, where we are now, and how it is making an impact. So let’s take a deeper look into healthcare at home to see how it has evolved over time, the technology that is driving this change, and how it is impacting our patients and providers.
We reached out to our brilliant Healthcare IT Today community to get their insights into this topic. The following is what they had to say.
Alaina Victoria, PT, DPT, Marketing and Sales Enablement Manager at OneStep
With more patients looking for novel care options, technology has stepped in to bridge the gap between in-person care and everyday life. While healthcare at home is not necessarily new, the delivery models are rapidly evolving thanks to innovative solutions like digital care platforms and mobile applications. These technologies enable real-time communication between patients and healthcare providers, facilitate continuous monitoring of health parameters and risk status, and empower individuals to actively participate in managing their health from the comfort of their homes. As a result, healthcare at home has become increasingly accessible, efficient, and personalized, contributing to improved patient outcomes and satisfaction.
Cindy Gaines, MSN, RN, Chief Clinical Transformation Officer at Lumeon
Telehealth, digital communication, and remote patient monitoring rose to the forefront during the pandemic and are now well-established care delivery options. Devices for medication adherence, blood pressure, blood sugar, and others help patients track metrics from their homes and enable providers access to the information in real-time to manage care remotely. Playing a crucial role in hospital-at-home programs, these technologies complement in-home visits and provide patients with a complete range of hospital services, including mental health, nephrology, and case management.
Brenden Hayden, Chief Operating Officer at Estella Health
Healthcare has traditionally been a slow industry when it comes to embracing change. That said, the last four years have demonstrated to us that patients will ultimately drive the need for advancements that ultimately move us towards adopting more efficient care delivery models and at scale. During the COVID-19 pandemic, patients learned quickly that care at home, delivered via telemedicine (phone, video, email) could efficiently and effectively address many of their clinical needs. That shift in mindset and behavior has kicked off an entire cultural shift in the traditional health delivery model, opening the door to the expansion of ED-at-Home/Hospital-at-Home programs and the utilization of Mobile Integrated Health to better serve historically underserved populations.
Laura Ferrara, Chief Strategy Officer at Intus Care
The focus on healthcare delivered in the comfort of one’s home has surged in recent times, particularly in light of the pandemic. Programs of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), a Medicare and Medicaid program designed for individuals aged 55 and above requiring nursing-home-level care, embraced the benefits of providing care at home prior to the pandemic, enabling this frail population to remain within their familiar home environments and communities. PACE programs across the country offer a holistic and forward-thinking approach to care, addressing both medical and social needs, with technology initiatives at the forefront to inform the right care at the right time.
Utilizing technology enables programs like PACE to discern patterns within their patient population and conduct personalized risk assessments to enhance care provision. By leveraging data analytics, these programs can pinpoint overarching trends among their participants, facilitating the implementation of targeted educational and care interventions. Moreover, sophisticated risk assessment models aid in the identification of individuals susceptible to heightened healthcare utilization, allowing for proactive measures to mitigate potential risks, such as intervening to prevent falls—a critical concern for elderly patients that, if unaddressed, could have significant consequences.
Jessica Wagner, Chief Operating Officer at RXNT
For decades, home care has only been growing—and that trajectory spiked overnight because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Telehealth advancements, both in technology and government policy, have created greater access to care for people who might otherwise struggle to get it. You can look at something like the lack of primary care providers to meet demand and see that there’s an immense need for solutions that create flexibility and efficiency in healthcare. Whether it’s boutique online telehealth services or subscription-based mental health apps, we’re seeing organizations rise to fill gaps traditional care is leaving and give patients what they seem to crave the most—convenience.
When thinking about home care, it’s also worth mentioning how technology really empowers at-home care providers. Telehealth appointments and remote patient monitoring are tools that make quality home care far more accessible for patients who have mobility difficulties, or who have chosen to age at home. With all of these services, though, the glaring issue is that home care is not always the best option for those dealing with advanced illnesses requiring specialty or round-the-clock care.
There are many options available to those dealing with advanced illness—ranging from home care to assisted living facilities and nursing homes—and the right choice is deeply personal. When making a tough care choice for oneself or a loved one, the considerations can be financial or related to the quality of care, or to the relationship between the patient and their loved ones. While advancements in technology continue to make more options available, its use and adoption will and should continue to vary from patient to patient and family to family. The decision a healthy individual makes to age at home will be different from the decision a loved one makes for a patient dealing with an advancing Alzheimer’s diagnosis, for example.
That is the beauty of technology—it can meet people where they are and can be personalized to empower decision-making and improve the care experience across the full spectrum of healthcare.
Joe Perekupka, CEO at Freespira
Healthcare at home is a seismic shift for the traditional treatment paradigm in the U.S. It represents the best opportunity for improved access to care and the ability for a more proactive approach to healthcare for most individuals in the U.S. Two technologies have had the greatest impact on this evolution: 1) Virtual/telehealth and 2) Prescription Digital Therapeutics (PDTs). Both of these technologies have provided the individual with new ways to access healthcare from the privacy of their own home. However, PDTs are taking home health to a new level because patients can access a validated treatment in their own home that once was only available via a clinic or physician/clinician office. Everything from mental health treatments, diabetes care, cardiac/stroke rehab, and pain management are all now available at home through the use of a digital therapeutic.
Carrie Nelson, Chief Medical Officer at KeyCare
The time is long overdue for healthcare providers to use tools that support patients to manage their health throughout the course of their daily lives. Let’s face it, the provider is not the one managing their diabetes or hypertension, the patient is. Through the use of Epic tools like Care Companion integrated with the Epic electronic health record, daily support can be provided that can help a patient follow a treatment plan, transmit data to their provider, or alert the care team that further assistance is needed. In this way, patients can more efficiently reach their health goals or obtain the support needed to avoid an ED visit or hospitalization. Similarly, the use of E-visits in which asynchronous communication occurs between a patient and a provider is a convenient way to receive care for common, straightforward conditions such as pink eye or a urinary tract infection.
Dr. Ahzam Afzal, Co-Founder and CEO at Puzzle Healthcare
We are experiencing a significant shift towards more proactive, patient-centered care models. The integration of customized care management strategies and remote patient monitoring in patients that have recently been discharged from a hospital or SNF plays a crucial role in reducing readmissions and enhancing patient outcomes. Leveraging detailed disease-specific assessments and deploying advanced technologies to track key vital signs and activity levels will enable early detection of patient deterioration.
This approach doesn’t just personalize care—it significantly boosts the ability to prevent unnecessary readmissions. During this care management outreach, it is critical to collaborate closely with health system partners to craft precise readmission avoidance pathways that ensure that patients are guided to the optimal care setting promptly during exacerbations. This evolution in care at home doesn’t only transform care delivery, it also greatly enhances patient outcomes. Furthermore, by minimizing the likelihood of readmissions, we’re not just improving patient quality of life, we’re also contributing to the overall efficiency of our healthcare system.
This reduction in readmissions directly translates into substantial cost savings, alleviating the financial burden on healthcare systems and patients alike. It is critical to continue to refine these models and strengthen our care coordination partnerships to help pave the way for a healthcare ecosystem that is truly focused on value-based care.
Alaina Victoria, PT, DPT, Marketing and Sales Enablement Manager at OneStep
Innovative technologies such as wearable devices and mobile applications are revolutionizing remote monitoring and enhancing the quality of care for individuals receiving healthcare at home. Healthcare professionals leverage these tools to remotely monitor vital signs, mobility, fall risk, progress, and receive real-time alerts on patient health status. Through continuous data collection and analysis, professionals can intervene promptly, personalize care plans, and offer proactive support — improving patient outcomes and ensuring efficient and effective healthcare delivery in the home setting.
Jared Gillespie, Senior Director of Clinical Solutions at Academy Medtech Ventures
The remote deployment of advanced computer vision (CV) technology is revolutionizing at-home physical rehabilitation.
Movement analysis enabled through CV technology and therapeutic monitoring is giving clinicians precision insight into patients’ rehab and exercises from home, so they can safely and effectively progress in their recovery journey outside of in-person visits. Deploying CV technology in patients’ homes sets them up with advanced movement detection, which allows clinicians to precisely analyze and interpret their physical movements. Ensuring remote patients still receive the most appropriate clinical-lead care is paramount, and advanced data capture and analysis is allowing clinicians to give their real-time correctional feedback to facilitate proper form and technique, reducing the risk of injury or reinjury for patients while giving them greater flexibility and access!
We’re seeing CV motion capture in rehabilitation gain momentum and extend clinician reach and impact – marking a really exciting breakthrough in clinician-led digital rehabilitation.
Joe Perekupka, CEO at Freespira
Remote patient monitoring is not a new concept in healthcare and has been around for over a decade. However, the promise of remote monitoring is taking a new shape when combined with home healthcare. In its previous iteration, physicians could get alerts about a patient with an implantable device such as a pacemaker or ICD. If an anomaly was discovered or an alert sent to the physician, the patient would need to go to the doctor’s office to address the alert. Patient care was still only delivered in the clinic. But with the development of digital therapeutics, we are now delivering care at home.
Digital therapies present a new world for remote monitoring because the devices that are used to deliver treatment are wifi enabled and the data can be sent in real-time to the prescribing clinician. This new ability addresses two key areas to improve healthcare in this country. First, access to this real-time treatment data allows the clinician to intervene and make adjustments to care more quickly, which improves patient engagement, clinical outcomes, and ultimately improves adherence.
Secondly, this eliminates the potential for patient misinformation, either deliberate or unintentional. The physician can improve the treatment paradigm by using data as opposed to patient feedback for making treatment decisions or adjustments.
I am particularly excited about digital therapies for mental health. There are unique challenges for individuals seeking help in the U.S. for mental health conditions. Currently, in the U.S., more than 60% of people suffering with anxiety disorders are not getting any treatment. The biggest drivers of that are stigma, access, and affordability. I truly believe that bringing the treatment to the patient will reduce or eliminate those barriers and promote better patient adherence. Secondly, a large part of the population would prefer not to be on medications due to side effects or long-term commitment. Providing a validated non-medication option will dramatically improve patients’ willingness to seek out treatment. This will change the shape of mental health care in this country and provide patients the ability to choose the treatment paradigm that best suits them but encourages them to seek out treatment earlier in their diagnosis.
Susan Machutt, Vice President and Medical Director at Discern Health
In recent years, the emphasis on healthcare at home has grown, echoing the historical practice of doctors making house calls. This shift is fueled by the recognition of the healing value derived from meeting patients in their familiar home environments, which can be particularly beneficial for older individuals or those with multiple co-morbidities. At home, healthcare professionals gain a unique perspective and better understanding of patients’ daily lives and challenges.
Innovative technologies, including predictive analytics tools, can help providers determine the right interventions for a specific patient and can serve as a tool to help patients better understand what is likely to happen in their healthcare journey in the future to empower them to take proactive steps to prevent adverse events. Using predictive analytics tools can help providers focus on what the most impactful interventions will be and help patients get to their optimal state of wellness. In the home setting, these predictions can include not only measurable health markers but also observations of a patient’s physical space – do they live alone, do they have to navigate stairs, etc. – to provide comprehensive guidance on future care needs, something that can be missed in a clinical setting.
Cara Lunsford, RN, Vice President of Community at Nurse.com
As we become increasingly more focused on safe staffing and nurse-to-patient ratios, we are realizing that providing care in the home enables more positive outcomes and fewer hospital readmissions. When nurses transition from providing care in the acute setting to providing care in the home, we learn more about patients’ social determinants of health. We are able to see firsthand what living conditions are like in their environment. We have time to sit and talk with them to create a plan of care that can result in significant lifestyle changes.
To further support ongoing care, home health nurses can encourage the use of wearable devices like smartwatches to track certain health metrics and allow for a better understanding of how the patient is doing in-between visits. Metrics tracked on remote monitoring devices like how much a patient exercises or remains sedentary can prompt valuable questions that lead to a better understanding of how patients are doing outside of traditional healthcare settings.
Alaina Victoria, PT, DPT, Marketing and Sales Enablement Manager at OneStep
Offering patients convenient, personalized care that fits into their lifestyles empowers patients to be active participants in their healthcare — fostering adherence and satisfaction. Patients are able to seamlessly communicate with their providers, strengthening the crucial patient and provider relationship that is fundamental for successful care. When patients receive timely feedback to their questions and ongoing guidance they feel truly supported, which translates to better engagement and satisfaction with the care they are receiving.
Joe Perekupka, CEO at Freespira
This impacts every facet of healthcare currently and all stakeholders equally. First, from the patient’s perspective, the ability to do a virtual consult or telemedicine appointment creates a better patient journey and reduces the stress of going to the clinician’s office. Which for many people can be a challenge given work schedules, etc.
Improved level of care can be achieved by using both telemedicine and virtual care. Making clinician visits more convenient promotes a more proactive health approach by the patient. This will empower them to take ownership of their healthcare.
This reduces the burden on the clinician and office staff and creates more efficiencies in the clinician’s office. Seeing patients physically requires incredible effort to orchestrate with the staff and the doctor. It is also more taxing to the individual physician. The ability to break up the day for the clinician by using virtual or telephonic means of following up with patients provides the clinician a break from the physical toll associated with running around the office and can reduce the time spent with patients because they can limit those appointments to a specific time allotment.
Lastly, achieving the right balance of virtual care and in-person care will create significant cost savings for the health system. The adoption of telemedicine and virtual healthcare is not merely changing the landscape for at-home healthcare but is reshaping the entire healthcare consumer experience.
So many good insights here! Huge thank you to everyone who took the time to submit a quote and thank you to all of you for reading this article. We could not do this without your support! How do you think healthcare at home has evolved over time? What technology is driving this change and what impact does it have? Let us know either in the comments down below or over on social media. We’d love to hear from all of you!
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