Virtua Health has announced a new model that enables paramedics and EMTs to provide non-emergency care in the homes of patients and coordinate care with doctors and care teams.
Mobile Integrated Health (MIH) is designed to support earlier intervention, reduce avoidable hospital admissions and ER visits and improve overall health outcomes.
Virtua is the first hospital in the state to be licensed for the program. MIH is designed to operate 24/7 and is currently supported by about 35 care providers, including 12 full-time staffers. Virtua will increase the program’s staffing and fleet of five dedicated vehicles as needed to sustain that coverage.
James Newman, Virtua’s vice president of patient logistics, explained that MIH is designed to address unmet medical, behavioral and social needs across the care continuum, particularly for patients who experience challenging transitions or limited access to timely followup.
“For example, consider a patient with chronic lung disease who develops a new symptom, such as a cough,” he noted. “While the patient may not require hospitalization, their care team can deploy Virtua’s MIH program to provide an in‑home assessment and treatment, helping manage symptoms early and prevent escalation.
“It fills critical gaps when a patient has a care plan but needs hands‑on support to carry it out,” Newman added.
MIH offers a home‑based option when emergency department care or 911 transport is not the best response, allowing patients to be assessed and treated earlier. It offers both scheduled and unscheduled visits, and a patient’s care provider can request a patient receive a visit from MIH within a specified time range, such as one to two hours, 24 hours or 48 hours.
Newman noted that MIH focuses on confirming a plan of care, assessing symptoms and clinical risk and resolving barriers that can prevent patients from following through.
“Initially, we expect to serve about 50 patients a day,” he said. “As the program grows, we can scale up with more providers and more vehicles as needed.”
In the coming months, MIH will also launch a collaboration with NJ MATTERS and Virtua’s Medication for Addiction Treatment Program to support people recovering from opioid overdose. NJ MATTERS (Medication for Addiction Treatment and Electronic Referrals) is a grant-funded nonprofit that connects patients to long-term treatment for opioid use disorder and prioritizes rapid access to medication for addiction treatment, or MAT.
MIH will provide home‑based follow‑up and physician‑directed medication treatment that helps reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms and is described as a valuable adjunct for patients who receive home health care from Virtua. The program works collaboratively with Virtua’s home health-care services.
Virtua leaders worked with the state Department of Health to create regulations to establish “comprehensive standards governing the creation, licensure and operation of Mobile Integrated Health (MIH) programs.” The rules are the first of their kind in the state, according to NJDOH.
“Mobile Integrated Health programs represent a transformative step in how we deliver care in New Jersey,” Jeff Brown, former acting health commissioner, said in an press release announcing the program. “By bringing health services directly to patients where they live, we can close gaps in care, reduce unnecessary hospital visits and improve health outcomes for our most vulnerable residents.
“These programs strengthen our health-care system and reflect our commitment to building healthier, more resilient communities.”
A doctor or other clinician must refer a patient to Virtua’s MIH program. To learn more, visit www.virtua.org or call (888) VIRTUA-3.
