Atrium Health Adds Pediatrics to Hospital-at-Home Program

Charlotte, N.C.-based Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital, which is part of Advocate Health, has developed a pediatric hospital-at-home program, building on Atrium’s program for adult patients, which serves approximately 90 patients a day.

The pediatric program is designed to provide team-based, multidisciplinary care for children who would otherwise require hospitalization. Another goal is to free up hospital beds for critically ill pediatric patients.

 The launch of Atrium Health Levine Children's Hospital at Home makes Advocate Health the only health system in the nation to provide home-based hospital-level care to both pediatric and adult patients, the health system said. 

“Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital at Home represents a significant advancement in pediatric care,” said Stacy Nicholson, M.D., M.P.H., president of Atrium Health Children’s Services, in a statement. “By bringing hospital-level care into the homes of our patients, we are improving their comfort and convenience while also ensuring they receive the highest quality medical attention.”

Staffed by board-certified pediatric hospitalists, pediatric trained nurses, child life specialists and highly trained paramedicine technicians, the comprehensive care team ensures patients receive the same level of pediatric-friendly care as they would in a hospital setting — at home. Levine Children’s Hospital at Home offers a range of hospital-level medical services, including IV medications and fluids, breathing treatments, wound care and post-surgical care.

Many children who meet the criteria for hospitalization but are stable enough to be monitored at home are eligible for the program, which is available to those presenting to the emergency department at Levine Children's Hospital. The program also aims to transition in-person hospitalized patients to in-home care as their conditions improve but still need to be monitored before being discharged. Once transferred home from the hospital, each patient is equipped with a home monitoring kit and receives 24/7 monitoring, daily virtual visit with physicians and in-person visits by community paramedics.

In addition to an improved patient experience, Levine Children’s Hospital at Home helps reduce the likelihood of hospital readmissions for patients, the health system said.

“We’re constantly looking for unique ways to meet the needs of our communities. With this program, we can offer safe, family-centered, convenient care in the places our patients feel most comfortable — their homes,” said Callie Dobbins, R.N., M.S.N., senior vice president of Atrium Health Levine Children’s, in a statement. “It also gives parents and caregivers the ability to be home where they too are more comfortable and can simultaneously attend to other responsibilities they may have, such as caring for other children.”