July 24, 2024- Hospital-at-home programs have become a focal point in the healthcare landscape, offering a lifeline outside the traditional hospital setting to patients in need of acute care services for common conditions like cellulitis, pneumonia, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and urinary tract infections. Even though this model of care was first introduced in the 1960s, it didn’t take off until the world was faced with challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Rob Schlissberg, president, Cardinal Health at-Home Solutions.
In November 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) launched the Acute Hospital Care at Home (AHCaH) waiver program to help hospitals address capacity issues accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. At its core, the AHCaH waiver grants healthcare providers the flexibility to deliver a comprehensive range of acute care services in a patient’s home. This waiver has since prompted a reevaluation of existing models and policies, marking a pivotal shift in traditional healthcare delivery.
CMS reports that, since the waiver took effect, it has enabled more than 331 hospitals across 136 health systems and 37 states to embrace hospital-at-home programs in the United States. Cardinal Health joined the hospital-at-home movement with the launch of the Velocare business in November 2022. Velocare is a supply chain network and fulfilment solution, capable of reaching patients within two hours with critical supplies and services needed to support high-acuity care in the home.