Revolutionizing Patient Recovery with Home-based Services After Emergency and Inpatient Care.

After spending five days at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Dorothy Mitchell wanted to go home. "I was determined," says the 83-year-old Washington, D.C., resident, "so I asked my sister to pick me up."

Mitchell was at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital after experiencing a near-fainting spell.

Given Mitchell’s atrial fibrillation and Emergency Department (ED) visit the month prior, the MedStar Georgetown care team admitted her. They discovered she had a urinary tract infection (UTI), which, despite being easily treated in younger patients, can lead to kidney infection, delirium, and sepsis for older women if not treated promptly.

“During discharge, a nurse told me about the Acute Care at Home program, which would let me go home and receive care before I see my primary care doctor,” Mitchell said.

“Acute Care at Home offers care delivery from a nurse practitioner or physician assistant in the patient's home following a MedStar Health hospital or ED visit, to effectively transition a patient’s care back to the community,” says Ethan Booker, MD, chief medical officer, telehealth, MedStar Health. 

A home visit is arranged to occur typically within 72 hours of discharge.

“This at-home acute care service helps prevent hospital returns by providing care that can be managed in a patient’s home. We ensure the care plan determined in the Emergency Department or inpatient setting is complete and the patient can execute it,” Dr. Booker says.

Acute Care at Home can include advanced assessment such as lab testing with immediate results and EKGs, simple procedures, and medical treatments typically requiring a hospital, such as IV fluids or IV medications. In addition to determining if a patient's medications were picked up and are being taken correctly, the mobile care team assesses fall risks and makes appointments for follow-up care. Conditions like UTIs, pneumonia, and dehydration can be treated from the comfort of the patient’s home. 

While being monitored by the mobile care providers and her primary healthcare provider, the medical team determined that Mitchell needed a different type of antibiotic to treat the UTI.   There was no need to return to the ED or visit another care location.

“It was just a wonderful thing. I’m happy for all the things MedStar Health could do for me at home. I recommend it for anybody.”