The Future of Home Health and Hospice is NOW

The pandemic of 2020 has brought to light a great many things with one of the main needs being more accessible home care programs. We are not just talking about Home Health and Hospice; this need is bigger than that and encompasses so much more of the population than just the elderly.

During the pandemic, there were many people that were secluded in their own homes, restricted from leaving to protect themselves and others. While there are still many debates about what should or shouldn’t be protocol, one thing is clear: home care is not just skilled nursing or skilled therapy, it is transforming into hospitalization in a home setting.

Hospitals At Home

We know most hospitals as they are or have been in the past, an institution equipped to diagnose, treat, and house the sick and injured. But the truth of today is that many of the tools and equipment used to diagnose and treat patients have been improved by technological advancements.

Machines that were once the dominating asset in a room can now fit in a vehicle’s backseat. Entire labs are being condensed into the size of a credit card. Tricorders (medical technology’s “flying cars”) are being developed to be used by patients, in their own homes, and without any medical training. Telemedicine has become a more foundational piece being offered to diagnose and prescribe medication within a matter of minutes through virtual visitations.

The list goes on and on…the technology is out there allowing medical companies to do a majority of what’s currently done in the hospital setting to be done at home. The question is, are those companies equipped and prepared to lose their office walls?

Speaking the Truth

‘Hospitals at home” were seen as a luxury service that only a certain demographic could afford to have in their homes. Having a doctor who made house calls was something of the past or you had to pay a pretty penny for it.

Back in November of 2020, Medicare released a waiver program allowing hospitals at home. This was step one for bringing the hospital to the home. There are already so many ways to provide home care and the innovation and programs to grow this further will not stop.

What we do know, as a rule, home health care and home care in the home setting is still the lowest-cost alternative to providing care for patients. Not only is a home health care the most cost-effective solution, but patients that are able to recover in the comfort of their own home tend to have better results and faster healing rates.

The Future is Today

From our experience, people that run hospitals, in general, don’t do home care well…it’s not what they do. This is not a testament to their skills at diagnosing and treating their patients, it’s a matter of being flexible and willing to adapt and change something that has always been done a particular way.

Home Health and Hospice agencies thrive at being adaptable. We see patients with different types of needs in different settings daily. We go where and when we are needed…it’s what we do. We understand what it means and how to operate (and operate well) without having those four walls around us.

The question we must all answer: Is the medical industry providing the best care solutions for their patients? This is a question we ask ourselves daily because the patient and their families are who we are centered around.

By not just allowing advancements and changes to happen in the medical industry but making a way for those innovations to become a part of who we are, we poise and ready ourselves to not just be a part of what’s next but to lead the future. Have additional questions, contact us today, we would love to connect with you.