The conditions for which a patient in our studies could be admitted to Hospital At Home were chosen because they are amenable to treatment at home and account for a sizeable proportion of hospital admissions among older persons. These illnesses are community-acquired pneumonia, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (emphysema), and cellulitis. Hospital At Home patients may be admitted from various clinical sites: the home, an ambulatory setting, or the emergency department.
However, not all older patients who require hospital admission for these illnesses are appropriate for Hospital At Home. We developed and validated specific medical eligibility criteria that can be used at the time of admission to determine which patients are suitable for Hospital At Home care. Our research suggests that approximately 30% of older patients with these conditions are appropriate for Hospital At Home care. These patients require hospital-level care, but are at a low risk of clinical deterioration with proper care and are less likely to require highly technical hospital-based procedures.
