NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Telehealth took off during the pandemic. Another convenience that's lesser known is hospital-care at home.
Programs like Vanderbilt University Medical Center's Hospital At Home program are possible because of a government waiver. The waiver program allows hospitals to deliver hospital-level care inside patients' homes through 2024. Nationwide, 300 hospitals and 125 health systems in 37 states have secured a waiver.
Sometimes people confuse it with hospice, which it is not. It's also different than home health.
"We try and replicate the hospital environment in the home," said Ryan Starnes, director of operations for the Vanderbilt program. "We can do things like bring an X-ray machine to the patient's home and give them some imaging. We can put in an IV, a central line to get access. We deliver food, medication, supplies to the patient's home."
At any time, patients can also talk to an on-call nurse by using a tablet.
It all costs the patient as much as a stay in the hospital. See how it works in the video above.
Patients are eligible for the acute-care at home if their doctors don't expect a dramatic change in their condition.
Nurses say being at home improves a lot of patients' moods, and sometimes helps them recover quicker.
"I ask them what do they like about Hospital at Home, and it is being at home with their family, their pets and their bed," said Junko Yonemoto, a field nurse.
Vanderbilt's Hospital At Home is currently treating adult patients within 30 miles of the medical center in Nashville.
Usually, a patient spends a day or two in the hospital before treatment at home becomes an option.
