St. Luke's finds success with its Hospital In Your Home program

Patient satisfaction has been up 18% for those using the virtual care program compared with those hospitalized in a bricks-and-mortar facility, the health system's chief digital officer says, with many feeling more empowered to manage their conditions.

THE PROBLEM

Saint Luke’s historically has had positive patient experience scores, but continuously strives to improve. The HIYH care model offers the patient the opportunity to stay in the comfort of their home, receive quality care and remain close to family.

"We believed that taking care of the patient where they wanted to be cared for would improve the overall patient experience," said Deborah Gash, senior vice president and chief digital officer at St. Luke's Health System. "Total cost of care for a patient seen in the hospital typically includes emergency room visits, hospitalization and post-acute care services.

"We also anticipated the HIYH model would improve patients’ overall health status, reduce readmissions, and lower the utilization of post-acute care services and ED visits, thereby providing a higher value service to the community," she continued.

Further, Saint Luke’s believed this care model would help address the capacity constraints that exist in the brick-and-mortar facility and alleviate workforce challenges. Since the onset of the pandemic, Saint Luke’s has seen high volume in facilities.

The HIYH model provided an opportunity to expand capacity without construction of new hospital beds. It also provides a unique work experience for healthcare workers, which leadership believes will enable clinical staff to continue in the profession, practice at the top of their licensure in new and challenging ways, and potentially attract new generations of caregivers to the healthcare field.

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