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Medscape
12-06-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Home Is the New Hospital: Nurses Rethink Where Patients Heal
Hospitals are struggling with long emergency room (ER) wait times, capacity issues, and staffing shortages. A growing number of patients with cellulitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, pneumonia, and other chronic conditions are being asked to skip hospital stays and return home. Hospital at Home models may be the answer. The explosion of Hospital at Home programs now makes it possible to provide acute level care at home. Today, 378 hospitals in 140 health systems and 39 states have been approved to provide healthcare at home. And a recent report found that 71% of health systems planned to launch Hospital at Home models. 'Digital care is the way of the future,' said Melissa Meier, MSN, RN, manager of Digital Care for OSF OnCall, the Digital Health Division for OSF HealthCare in Peoria, Illinois. 'We're always looking at ways to help reach more patients [and] always being on the cutting edge to reach our patients wherever they are is super important…[Hospital at Home] is certainly an answer for that.' About Medscape Data Medscape continually surveys physicians and other medical professionals about key practice challenges and current issues, creating high-impact analyses. For example, Medscape's Nurse Career Satisfaction Report 2024 found that Only 3% of surveyed nurses work in a home health/visiting nurse capacity. Advanced Practice Registered Nurses are more likely to work for medical groups. About 9% of nurses said the worst part of the job was not enough time with patients. A New Model of Care In 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the Acute Hospital Care at Home initiative that made it possible for Medicare-certified hospitals to provide inpatient-level care at home. The COVID-era waiver was designed to address capacity issues during the pandemic but has proven popular as a long-term solution. Mass General Brigham is among the hospitals that launched programs to offer inpatient care in patient homes. Since the 2017 pilot, the Boston-based hospital has served more than 6000 patients and unlocked 30,000 bed days through its Healthcare at Home program. 'Patients absolutely love this service,' said Stephen Dorner, MD, MPH, emergency physician and chief clinical and innovation officer at Mass General Brigham Healthcare at Home. 'The experience is unmatched.' Hospital at Home is best suited to patients with infectious diseases or respiratory, circulatory, or renal conditions. Patients receive in-home visits from providers at least twice a day, continuous monitoring of vital signs, portable ultrasounds, blood work, and other diagnostics, and access to medications and other therapeutics. The programs also include 24-hour access to virtual care teams. Mass General Brigham begins screening for eligibility for Healthcare at Home in the emergency room based on clinical criteria, distance from the hospital, and payer coverage. In Renton, Washington, Providence takes a similar approach to screening patients who are eligible for its Hospital at Home program before initiating a conversation with patients to assess their interest in receiving care at home. 'Unsurprisingly, it's not right for everyone,' explains Christopher Dale, MD, MPH, medical director, Clinical Innovation at Providence. 'It could be that they [patients] don't want other people in their home…and there's a segment of people who feel more comfortable getting care in the hospital, thinking that the nurses and doctors are right there all the time…and they feel safer that way.' However, there can be significant benefits for patients who receive acute care at home. Studies have linked Hospital at Home programs to reduced hospital-acquired infections, less time spent in skilled nursing facilities, fewer hospital readmissions, and lower mortality rates; there are revenue benefits, too. Hospital at Home programs at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, saved 19%-30% compared to in-hospital care. 'It's a way to create capacity in the system,' said Dale. 'We all know about [issues with] boarding in the emergency department and how long it takes to get a bed…and we don't want that…and this creates capacity so that hospitals can stay available for the sickest of the sick.' Providers have embraced the model. Physicians and registered nurses providing acute in-home care reported lower burnout, higher job satisfaction, healthier work environments, and a feeling that their professional values were well-aligned with the program in a home hospital pilot program. 'We know that healthcare is hard, and this has provided another model of care for nurses, physicians…to still have that in-person care component and be able to provide hands-on care in a different setting that really helps them to focus on one patient at a time,' Meier added. 'It really has helped to remind them [nurses] why they got into healthcare in the first place.' Charting the Challenges The model might be successful, but Hospital at Home is not without its challenges. The logistics are complicated. Mass General Brigham manages a dedicated Healthcare at Home team, schedules home visits, provides access to 24-hour virtual patient care, and ensures that healthcare providers have the right supplies to provide patient care. To facilitate communication, OSF HealthCare does (virtual) interdisciplinary rounds every morning to bring the whole care team together. 'The coordination of ensuring you've got the right people with the right supplies at the right place in a remote location gets very complicated very quickly,' Dorner said. Launching a successful Hospital at Home program requires a strong commitment from leadership. It touches multiple hospital departments, from providers to revenue, accreditation, and food services, and, as an initiative still in its adolescence, Dale cites the importance of working with leadership to adjust as needed. Health systems are always concerned about navigating the logistics; they are considering the long-term viability of Hospital at Home. CMS has extended the Acute Hospital Care at Home waiver, initially set to expire at the end of 2024 and now extended through 2026 — but the future is uncertain. Reimbursement remains challenging. Under the waiver, Medicare-certified hospitals can provide inpatient-level care at home, but most private payers have not followed suit. The lack of reimbursement coupled with uncertainty about waiver extensions has made some hospitals reluctant to launch Hospital at Home programs. Dorner believes that making Hospital at Home a permanent option for patients is critical to the future of healthcare and plays a critical role in alleviating burnout, reducing wait times, and providing safe, effective, value-based care. 'We're not going to be able to exclusively build our way out of the capacity crisis…and so we have to find new ways to support that growing demand,' he said. 'It's hard to look at the landscape of what can be afforded through home hospital care delivery from a quality perspective, an experience perspective, a capacity perspective, a financial perspective and think, 'No, we don't want to do that.''
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
All things radish
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — The radish isn't always the first vegetable that comes to mind for most people. But it can be surprisingly versatile when it comes to cooking. Olivia DeLeon from OSF HealthCare stopped by WMBD This Morning to showcase two unique recipes that utilize radishes. Ingredients 2 cups quartered fresh radishes 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill Flaky sea salt Directions Place quartered radishes on a serving plate. Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with dill and a pinch of flaky sea salt. Ingredients 6-8 thin slices of baguette or other crusty bread 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 cup of low-fat ricotta cheese 1 clove of garlic, grated 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest, divided 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/2 cup of thinly sliced fresh radishes 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill Flaky sea salt Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees and add a sheet of parchment paper to a baking sheet. Brush bread with olive oil, then bake for 5 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, garlic, 1/2 tablespoon of lemon zest, and pepper. Mix to combine. Add 1/2 Tablespoon of the ricotta mixture to each slice of bread and spread evenly over the top. Place 4 radish slices on each toast then sprinkle with fresh dill and flaky sea salt. Love WMBD This Morning? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our Daily Newsletter. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Men's Health Month spotlights masculine culture's healthcare impact
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — June is Men's Health Awareness Month, and Dr. Brian Curtis from OSF HealthCare says it's an important time to recognize health challenges men face. One of the key things Curtis says gets in the way of men's healthcare is masculine culture. He says it can often be a challenge to get men to see their doctors. 'They just do not get in to get checked, they ignore stuff, and they dismiss stuff,' he said. Curtis also said that, in addition to regular checkups, men should be aware of the screenings recommended as they age. That includes colon cancer screenings, which are recommended for those aged 45 and up, and prostate cancer screenings for those aged 50 and up. He also says men should start to get their blood pressure and cholesterol checked starting in their 20s. Another thing men should be mindful of is their mental health. It's a topic that, according to Curtis, many men ignore or don't feel comfortable discussing. 'It's not really recognized,' he told us. 'It's a big stigma, the whole 'macho attitude' thing.' Curtis also said that when men attempt suicide, they're four times more likely to die than women. And their attempts also tend to be more violent. The key to helping men address mental health needs, Curtis said, is opening a dialogue with them. He recommends people speak up if they see someone stressed out or losing interest in things they used to enjoy, and allow them the space to talk about how they're feeling. Ultimately, it may come down to loved ones to get men to seek care. Curtis said when he was a practicing physician, he often heard one particular refrain. 'I'd be like, 'how can I help you today?' And they'd go 'I don't know, my wife made me come,'' Curtis recounted. Love WMBD This Morning? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our Daily Newsletter. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Yahoo
Nine people injured in riot at Galesburg juvenile detention center
A riot at the Mary Davis Detention Home in Galesburg on Wednesday led to nine people being injured. A group of juvenile residents became combative at 7:35 p.m., according to the Knox County Sheriff's Office. Local law enforcement were asked to assist detention home staff in controlling the situation. More: Peoria tattoo shop owner accused of sending explicit messages to minor Four staff members sustained non-life-threatening injuries, and five juveniles were also injured. All were treated at the home, with some transported to OSF HealthCare St. Mary Medical Center. An internal investigation being conducted into the altercation. The sheriff's office says that there is no threat to the surrounding community, with the safety of staff and residents remaining their top priority. Additional charges could be added for those who either instigated or participated in the fight, according to the sheriff's office. An incident at the Mary Davis Home in March 2024 led to eight staff members being injured. Knox County and several local officials were sued by residents in U.S. District Court last June for what they claim were abusive practices, such as keeping them in solitary confinement despite warnings that it wasn't safe. The lawsuit remains pending. More: From safety to productivity, here are new technologies being used by Caterpillar This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Nine people injured in riot at Mary Davis Home in Galesburg
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Yahoo
Pekin woman identified as person killed in Downtown Peoria shooting
Kenadee Wallenfang, 18, of Pekin, has been identified as the woman killed in Downtown Peoria on Tuesday, according to Peoria County Coroner Jamie Harwood. Wallenfang, who was shot on the 100 Block of SW Water Street near the Peoria riverfront, was pronounced brain dead Wednesday at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center, roughly 24 hours after she was shot, according to Harwood. She was "aggressively treated" in the hospital's intensive care unit in a "stable yet vulnerable position," Harwood said. She was pronounced brain dead at 5:15 p.m., according to Harwood. She had been shot at 3:19 p.m. on Tuesday. All people believed to be involved in the shooting are in police custody, according to the Peoria Police Department. Wallenfang was a registered organ donor and some of her organs will be used for transplants. An autopsy will take place after the transplant process, Harwood said. UPDATE ON THE CASE: 'Brutal and reckless:' Details released in shooting of 18-year-old Pekin woman in Peoria This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Pekin woman killed in Downtown Peoria shooting
