(Silver Spring, Md.) – A new virtual care service offered by Holy Cross Home Care and Hospice is helping patients avoid preventable emergency room visits and hospitalizations, while empowering them to achieve their best possible quality of life – all in the comfort of home.
Home Care Connect, launched in Maryland by Trinity Health At Home in 2018, blends in-home, one-to-one care provided by visiting nurses and therapists, with easy-to-use remote monitoring technology and a virtual care center with specially trained nurses who provide around-the-clock support. Holy Cross Health is a member of Trinity Health of Livonia, Mich., one of the largest multi-institutional Catholic health care delivery systems in the country, serving diverse communities that include more than 30 million people across 22 states.
"Reducing preventable emergency visits and hospitalizations and increasing patient engagement and satisfaction are our goals with this program," said Erin Denholm, President and CEO, Trinity Health At Home. "We are extremely encouraged by the initial results."
Between Oct.1 and Dec. 31, 2018, the use of Home Care Connect resulted in a 50 percent drop in 30-day readmissions rates. Patients who used the virtual care service returned to the hospital at a much lower rate (6.3 percent) than the national average for 30-day readmissions (15.9 percent).
Holy Cross Home Care and Hospice help patients with chronic diseases or who are recovering from illness or surgery to achieve health goals and return to daily activities. The team includes visiting nurses, physical and occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, social workers and other home health professionals.
Home care patients enrolled in Home Care Connect receive a kit — free of charge —that includes a tablet and wireless tools to report how they are feeling and their vital information including weight, blood pressure and pulse. The tablet runs with a major wireless internet provider's 4G network.
The information streams around the clock, seven days a week, to Holy Cross Home Care's Virtual Care Center and is reviewed by the patient's nurses, who take action as needed to address health changes that could lead to visits to the emergency room or hospitalizations. The tablet's two-way video feature allows for virtual visits, day or night, between patients, nurses, physicians and family members.
“In between my physical therapy home visits, having access to nurses at any time gave me peace of mind—all without leaving my home,” said Beverly Flanagan, who benefited from Home Care Connect following her knee replacement surgery. “It actually feels like old times, when we had a neighborhood doctor who would make house calls."
"Every day, we are empowering patients to be more in control of their health by increasing their knowledge of medications and conditions and proactively helping them achieve goals where they are most comfortable – at home," Denholm said. "We are looking forward to serving more patients with Home Care Connect in support of our mission to be a healing presence in this community."
Since April 2017, more than 24,000 patients nationwide have benefitted from the Home Care Connect program. The Virtual Care Center nurses have had more than 75,000 virtual calls with patients. About 98 percent of patients surveyed reported they were satisfied with the experience and about 96 percent would recommend Home Care Connect to other people.
About Holy Cross Home Care and Hospice
Holy Cross Home Care and Hospice is affiliated with Holy Cross Health and is a member of Trinity Health At Home. Trinity Health At Home and its family of home care and hospice agencies provide Mission-driven, people-centered care in communities throughout 11 states. We are recognized for advanced programs to support patients with complex disease management needs and compassionate end-of-life care. Trinity Health At Home is committed to providing exceptional, people-centered care in the most sacred place: home. Learn more at TrinityHealthAtHome.org.
About Holy Cross Health
Holy Cross Health is a Catholic, not-for-profit, people-centered health system that serves the two most populous counties in Maryland, Montgomery and Prince George's counties, with a commitment to being the most trusted provider of health care services in the area. Founded in 1963 by the Sisters of the Holy Cross, Holy Cross Health is a member of Trinity Health of Livonia, Michigan, one of the largest multi-institutional Catholic health care delivery systems in the nation. Holy Cross Hospital, in Silver Spring, is one of the largest hospitals in Maryland, and Holy Cross Germantown Hospital is the first hospital in the nation on a community college campus, enhanced by an educational partnership. The Holy Cross Health Network operates primary care practices and affordable health centers, and offers a wide range of innovative, community-based health and wellness programs. Specialty care, home care and hospice services round out Holy Cross Health's high-quality and coordinated continuum of care that aims to improve health and move life ahead for individuals and populations in the communities served. Learn more at HolyCrossHealth.org.