There's No Place Like Home
There’s No Place Like Home
Hospital to Home Program Decreases Hospital Readmissions
Right at Home, In-Home Care and Assistance and Forsyth Medical Center are partnering to address the challenges for Forsyth County seniors who are transitioning from a hospital discharge to the home. The program provides services such as transportation to follow-up physician’s appointments, light housekeeping, meal preparation and referrals to community support services. Hospital to Home is funded primarily by the Duke Endowment Program.
In its first year, the Hospital to Home Program reported a 53 percent reduction in hospital readmissions within the first 30 days. The first of its kind in North Carolina, the Hospital to Home program has been successfully addressing the complex needs of discharged patients to ensure a strong, home-based recovery.
This type of program has potential to increase in demand due to new provisions in the recent healthcare bill requiring hospitals to improve the quality of care for their patients or face consequences from government reimbursement sources. Preventable hospital readmissions currently cost the healthcare system $25 billion annually, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Health Research Institute. In 2012, Medicare plans to eliminate payments to hospitals for preventable readmissions due to heart failure or pneumonia.
As a result, programs such as Hospital to Home are growing in popularity due to their success in reducing readmissions and costs to Medicare. The estimated savings during the first year of the Winston-Salem Hospital to Home program as a result of prevented readmissions was $367,728 or $7,661 per case.
The Hospital to Home program is currently available for patients who meet the following criteria:
- 65-years-old and older
- Medicare or Medicaid eligible
- Resident of Forsyth County
- Discharged to home
- Two or more conditions from a list of qualifications
A Hospital to Home Navigator identifies and works closely with the patients and their loved ones who are willing to participate in the program. After patients are discharged from a hospital stay, they are assisted in the home by Right at Home caregivers who can provide them with medication pick-up and reminders, laundry, and household duties to keep their homes safe and clean. Caregivers also serve as the eyes and ears for family members and other loved ones and alert either doctors or family members if any notable situations arise.
The program has seen high satisfaction rates with participating patients and their loved ones. More than 100 patients have been serviced through the growing program. The program promises to continue growing as in-home care becomes an increasingly popular way to improve the quality of life for many aging adults. For more information on the Hospital to Home program, contact Jackie Brewer at 336-760-7131 or at info@rightathomews.com.
Click on the following link for the complete program overview: Forsyth_H2H_Overview.pdf