How it Works

Which Patients Are Good Candidates for Hospital at Home?

Patients with illnesses including community-acquired pneumonia, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (emphysema), cellulitis, volume depletions / dehydration, urinary tract infection / urosepsis, deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, as well as others are good candidates for Hospital at Home®. These conditions are treatable in the home, and typically account for a size-able portion of hospital admissions among older persons. 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 to determine which patients are suitable for Hospital at Home care. Our research suggests that approximately 30 percent 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.