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Hospital at-home technology:
Best practices

Advances in technology are helping to create innovative care models that can help provide hospital-level care in a patient’s home. Hospital-at-home technology currently provides diagnostic care using technologies like remote patient monitoring, and telehealth. Poised to grow, 78% of health systems are planning to implement a hospital-at-home (HaH) program in the next five years.1

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Why the growth in hospital-at-home interest?

According to the American Hospital Association, many hospital systems are considering the hospital-at-home model as a promising approach to improve value; this care delivery model has been shown to reduce costs, improve outcomes and enhance the patient experience.

Studies have shown evidence of improved patient satisfaction as well as improved, safer and less expensive patient care.2

One trial showed3:

38% reduction in costs

70% reduction in readmissions

Nearly 50% improvement in patient mobility

Hospitals and patients benefit from hospital-at-home.


Quality of care

In one JAMA study, patients with chronic disease receiving hospital-at-home care had a lower risk for readmission by 26% and also had lower depression and anxiety scores than patients receiving in-hospital care.4

To provide a hospital level of care at home, clinicians rely on remote patient monitoring technology which can provide near real-time access to patient data. Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) technology allows for remote patient monitoring through devices that collect and share information about the patient and their environment.

5G can help provide the low latency, massive bandwidth and high speeds needed for IoMT. According to healthcare organizations, the top three improvements from using 5G are5:

A better telehealth experience

An increase in use of wearable health monitors

More real-time and accurate remote patient monitoring

Data security

A major challenge to hospital-at-home technology is the need to protect patient and healthcare data.

Yet, a majority of MSI respondents sacrificed the security of mobile devices (including IoMT devices) to “get the job done.” The need for staff to quickly access data was also cited as a challenge to implementing effective security controls.

Mobile device management solutions can provide an integrated platform for protecting IoMT and other mobile devices.

81% of healthcare organizations enable remote access to electronic patient records, while 87% believe the highly confidential nature of patient data increases the risk of a cyber attack according to Verizon’s 2022 Mobile Security Index (MSI).6

According to MSI, approximately 47% of the healthcare sector had suffered a mobile-related security breach and said that device-based threats were a contributing factor.7

And close to two out of five (38%) healthcare respondents said they’d experienced a mobile-related compromise in the previous 12 months. Half (50%) suffered loss of data as a consequence; over a third (37%) reported damage to their reputation, including loss of business; and the same number (37%) incurred regulatory penalties.8

Simple information transfer

Providing comfortable, wearable technologies will help collect patient health data and help clinicians monitor patients remotely. It is also important to help ensure that patients with limited English or with visual or hearing impairments can communicate with staff. Use remote patient solutions that can help replicate the in-person consultation experience.

The responsiveness of hospital staff strongly correlates with high patient satisfaction scores.9 Providing near-instantaneous response to patients—via one-click on a tablet, as opposed to leaving text or phone messages—has been linked with a 100% positive rating of responsiveness.

Positive rating of responsiveness

Getting the technology right


The transition from hospital to home

The set-up process of hospital-at-home technology may be the first experience patients and their family have with this new healthcare approach, so it is important to get it right. One challenge noted by hospital-at-home users was a perceived lack of continuity and communication between hospital and at-home staff.10


Connectivity is critical for healthcare

Fast, reliable connectivity is critical to the success of community health technology. Health platforms should provide a central location for monitoring tasks, updating care plans, placing orders and streamlining communication to help minimize the chances of technical disruptions and miscommunication during the transition process.


Working with an experienced, trusted partner

Connectivity and security lie at the heart of successful hospitalat- home technology. Working with an experienced provider like Verizon gives healthcare organizations access to a fast, reliable network, world-class hospital and community health technology and experienced security analysts.

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Learn more about how Verizon can help streamline virtual care.

  • The author of this content is a paid contributor for Verizon.
     

    1 Chartis, Today’s Health System Challenges Call for Novel Solutions, August 2022

    2 Journal of Healthcare Management, Acute Care Reimagined: Home Hospital Care Can Support the Triple Aim and Reduce Health Disparities, July-August 2021

    3 Annals of Internal Medicine, Hospital-Level Care at Home for Acutely Ill Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Epub 2019 Dec 17. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31842232/

    4 Arsenault-Lapierre G, Henein M, Gaid D, Le Berre M, Gore G, Vedel I. Hospital-at-Home Interventions vs In-Hospital Stay for Patients With Chronic Disease Who Present to the Emergency Department: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(6):e2111568. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.11568

    5 HIMSS, Setting Realistic Expectations for 5G in Healthcare, January 2022, page 5

    6 Verizon, Mobile Security Index 2022, page 45

    7 Verizon, Mobile Security Index 2022: Enterprise, page 2

    8 Ibid.

    9 Maniaci MJ, Torres-Guzman RA, Garcia JP, et al. Overall patient experience with a virtual hybrid hospital-at-home program. SAGE Open Medicine. 2022;10. doi:10.1177/20503121221092589<

    10 Journal of General Internal Medicine, Perceptions of Hospital-at-Home Among Stakeholders: a Meta-synthesis 2022 Feb; 37(3): 637–650. Published online 2021 Aug 6. doi: 10.1007/s11606-021-07065-0

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