{"id":16751,"date":"2022-11-08T14:45:37","date_gmt":"2022-11-08T20:45:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=16751"},"modified":"2024-09-05T09:02:18","modified_gmt":"2024-09-05T14:02:18","slug":"launching-a-digital-hospital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/launching-a-digital-hospital\/","title":{"rendered":"Launching a digital hospital"},"content":{"rendered":"

Being hospitalized away from home can be inconvenient and uncomfortable. OSF OnCall Digital Hospital offers an innovative alternative, providing hospital-level care at home for certain health conditions. This model ensures 24\/7 access to nurses and doctors, enabling patients to receive expert care while remaining at home with their loved ones.<\/p>\n

The origins of a digital hospital<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, OSF Innovation<\/a> and OSF OnCall Digital Health<\/a> rapidly set up a virtual hospital-at-home program to treat sick people while also reducing stress on hospital capacity and medical providers. The idea<\/a> for this digital hospital concept grew out of a Trailblazer Challenge<\/a>, a competition that helps employees \u2013 called Mission Partners \u2013 bring their health care ideas to life.<\/p>\n

In just three months, OSF HealthCare was among a few health systems in the country successfully leveraging technology to care for more than 100 patients in their own homes across Illinois. As a result, OSF became one of three health care systems in the state granted a waiver to provide hospital-at-home care.<\/p>\n

At that point, the team took a step back to design a fully-fledged digital hospital program. Jump Trading Simulation & Education Center<\/a> created the education and simulation-based training to help clinicians prepare for the new model of care. After weeks of testing and training, Mission Partners were able to gain confidence through repetition of the new workflows and skills and get comfortable providing care in the home.<\/p>\n

OSF OnCall Digital Hospital today\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Interested in OSF OnCall Digital Hospital?<\/p>\n

Learn more<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

OSF OnCall Digital Hospital successfully launched in the Peoria area in August 2022<\/a> and in Rockford in March 2024<\/a>. Over 400 patients have received care at home through this program.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we bring patients home, we’re freeing up beds within the medical center for others to use, but additionally it’s great for patient experience. Patients love to be at home. They love to be with their pets, their beds, their favorite recliner and be able to control their own visitor hours,\u201d said Melissa Meier, a manager of Digital Care at OSF OnCall.<\/p>\n

Less than 7% of OSF OnCall Digital Hospital cases escalate to hospital care. Research shows patients in digital hospital programs recover faster and experience fewer falls and hospital-acquired infections. The care teams at OSF OnCall attribute that to the reduced stress that comes from the convenience and comfort of healing at home.<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn’t ask for more polite, well-educated, concerned people to come into my house and make sure that I had what I needed to get well. It was a wonderful experience,\u201d said Robert Thornton, the first OSF OnCall Digital Hospital patient in the Rockford area.<\/p>\n

Criteria to be enrolled include a patient\u2019s age, diagnosis, condition stability and having an insurer that covers hospital care at home. Medicare is among the payers that covers home-based acute care. Patients are also screened to make sure their home environment is safe and must live within 30 minutes of the hospital. Once enrolled, a tech kit, providing 24\/7 instant connection, is set up by the care team. It includes things like:<\/p>\n