Virtua Health has resumed its Hospital at Home program following the end of the federal government shutdown.
The program enables clinically eligible patients to receive hospital-level care in the comfort of their own homes. It was forced to close because of a lapse in funding caused by the shutdown.
During the 43-day closure, Virtua’s care-at-home team shifted focus to its Care After Discharge program, enrolling approximately 900 patients in October alone. From January through October, more than 4,500 patients benefited from the program, which ensures safe and supported transitions from hospital to home.
While Hospital at Home provides hospital-level care in the home setting, Care After Discharge offers monitoring and other support services after hospital treatment. Care After Discharge is available to both patients participating in Hospital at Home and those who stay in a traditional brick-and-mortar hospital..
“Although we did not invite this disruption, we did use it as a learning opportunity,” said Michael Capriotti, senior vice president and president of advanced care operations and logistics at Virtua. “Because we staff and operate all our home-based services – rather than outsource them to third-party agencies – we had the ability to redirect our energies to Care After Discharge and keep our team as busy and productive as ever.”
