Hackensack Meridian Health Announces Launch of Hospital At Home

According to a recent press release, N.J.-based Hackensack Meridian Health, an integrated health network, announced the launch of Hospital At Home at JFK University Medical Center in Edison, N.J. The program aims to deliver high-quality acute care in the home of Medicare patients and the network has plans to expand the program to a larger patient population after the pilot.

The release states that “The program is created through a Medicare waiver, which permits hospitals to provide acute care at home to Medicare patients. The network will select patients based on factors that include diagnoses that often result in frequent and costly readmissions to hospitals: uncomplicated Congestive Heart Failure (CHF), pneumonia, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and cellulitis.”

That said, “Initially the program will admit a few patients a week and provide the following services delivered in the home: two nursing visits daily; medications delivered to the home including infusions; rehab visits as needed; remote patient monitoring which includes pulse ox, blood pressure, heart rate, weight and temperature. Nutritious meals and home health support can be provided as needed.”

The release adds that the program was created during the COVID-19 pandemic to assist hospitals that struggling with bed capacity and in November of 2020, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Acute Hospital Care at Home Waiver that allows hospitals to bill for acute care services that individuals receive at home.

Robert C. Garrett, chief executive officer of Hackensack Meridian Health, was quoted in the release saying that "This program can also provide an excellent opportunity to expand care in underserved communities where transportation may be an issue. A major strategic priority of the network is to help reduce inequality in care delivery.''