Superior Care at Residence celebrates its first full 12 months with the acceptance of the 2022 Highsmith Award for Innovation, introduced from the NC Healthcare Affiliation to a member establishment or particular person/group in recognition of innovation that creates worth for sufferers/customers of healthcare.
It’s an progressive program reshaping healthcare proper from the consolation of your private home. From improved affected person outcomes to increased affected person and clinician satisfaction, the UNC Well being’s hospital at house program, Superior Care at Residence, has proven how house hospitalization can have a life-changing constructive affect on sufferers and households. In honor of its excellence, this system acquired the Highsmith Award for Innovation, one of many North Carolina Healthcare Affiliation’s (NCHA) highest group honors. It’s introduced for collaborative work by hospitals and well being techniques that make the most of new expertise, practices and techniques to remodel healthcare supply to sufferers.
“It’s thrilling that others together with the NCHA see the worth of the hospital at house care mannequin,” mentioned Meera Udayakumar, MD, Superior Care at Residence medical director. “Our group felt from our affected person expertise and medical consequence information, that we had been offering wonderful care, nevertheless it’s nonetheless extraordinarily rewarding to get this recognition.”
Superior Care at Residence delivers hospital degree care together with infusions, diagnostic exams, nursing assessments and doctor visits to sufferers of their properties via a mix of in-person and digital care. This system started by serving sufferers from UNC Medical Heart in Chapel Hill and UNC Well being Rex in Raleigh who had particular diagnoses equivalent to coronary heart failure, COPD, and pneumonia. Nevertheless, this system shortly expanded medical talents to cowl further medical circumstances. Additionally, it elevated affected person entry to different elements of North Carolina together with: UNC Hillsborough and UNC Holly Springs. For the reason that program went reside on August 30, 2021, it has thus far supplied care to 456 sufferers starting from age 37 to 103 throughout 46 zip codes within the state – proving there are lots of advantages to receiving hospital care within the house that sufferers desire, their house.
“This care mannequin permits sufferers to keep away from sure danger elements inherent to conventional hospitalization, equivalent to deconditioning and delirium or confusion,” mentioned Dr. Udayakumar. “It additionally permits caregivers to be extra concerned in a affected person’s hospital care, which is very vital if that particular person goes to be supporting the affected person after hospital discharge. Moreover, this program additionally offers the care group perception right into a affected person’s house scenario, which might have a major affect on their well being.”
Because the pandemic raged on in the course of the delta and omicron variant waves within the second half of 2021and early 2022, shifting care to a affected person’s house not solely saved them protected and comfy, but in addition freed up hospital house and employees for critically sick COVID sufferers. “Sick however secure” sufferers acquired 24/7 digital care and UNC Well being clinicians carried out patient-care plans deploying a community of in-home service suppliers together with paramedics, expert nurses, lab companies, cell imaging, remedy, and extra.
“This program was designed and carried out by frontline, affected person -facing healthcare employees who needed to create a care mannequin that we might supply to our personal households,” mentioned Dr. Udayakumar. “Workers from throughout the UNC Well being system collaborated to create a program that gives excessive medical high quality, security, and a constructive affected person expertise.”
Lowering stress of hospitalization by offering a seamless transition of healthcare within the house has helped many sufferers to keep up their independence and proceed the therapeutic course of the place they really feel most comforted. The Superior Care at Residence mannequin allows sufferers to obtain the correct care in the correct place on the proper time and the evaluations about this system converse for themselves.
“It’s an exquisite program, and other people will get higher faster at house since you’re so snug the place you’re used to being, and there’s simply no place like house. The those who got here and took care of me had been identical to household to me.” – Mrs. Grey
“I’m extraordinarily blissful to have had this very skilled service which I really feel was much more mentally and bodily efficient in serving to my restoration than staying on the hospital.” – Nameless
“I assumed this system sounded fantastic and it was. Being in your individual home and sleeping in your individual mattress makes a world of distinction. The employees had been very caring and gave me very customized care.” – Debby Kremer
One 12 months of success thus far and this system has already proven improved satisfaction, consolation, and comfort for sufferers and caregivers. As applied sciences advance and as folks age who’re snug with computer systems, cell telephones and different units, acute-level care at house will doubtless develop. The long run affect of this strategy can solely pave the way in which for a greater expertise and a extra customized healthcare journey for sufferers.
“I’m very happy with the Superior Care at Residence group and UNC Well being for main the way in which in healthcare innovation,” mentioned Dr. Udayakumar. “It’s unbelievable what has been achieved over the previous 12 months. We have now seen wonderful medical outcomes and affected person expertise. I hope that sooner or later, we will enhance entry to this program and take care of extra sufferers. “
Media contact: Brittany Phillips
