Intermountain Expands Reach, Broadens Offerings of Hospital at Home Program

Patients at a dozen Intermountain hospitals across hundreds of miles can now access 24/7 virtual care from tele-nurses, tele-hospitalists and other remote monitoring technicians and clinicians. Intermountain Healthcare announced this week that it is expanding the scope and services of its hospital at home program, more than a year since it was first launched in May 2020. The initiative now serves patients at 12 hospitals across Utah, with new locations soon to come. Remote care clinicians have also broadened the treatments they offer, to include COVID-19 and other acute and chronic conditions, according to officials at the Salt Lake City-based health system.

The virtual hospital is staffed 24/7 by remote monitoring technicians, and includes tele-nurses, tele-hospitalists and tele-advance practice providers, depending on patients' acuity. The services are offered to patients who meet specific clinical and non-clinical criteria who come in through an emergency department visit or have been admitted to the hospital and qualify for early discharge, officials said.

Conditions treated at home include community-acquired pneumonia, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, some kidney conditions, some intestinal or vein conditions, some infections and some cancer diagnoses. The hospital at home service is provided in partnership with Castell, the population health spinoff that Intermountain launched two years ago. Caregivers from Intermountain Homecare deliver remote patient monitoring equipment and provide hands-on training to the patient and other household members, as well as provide equipment maintenance.