Healthcare at Home Blog Series: 2021 Recap
The industry shift can improve health outcomes and reduce overall costs but needs to be incentivized with value-based payment models.
THE VBP Blog
Over the last several months, throughout our Healthcare at Home blog series, we took a deep dive into the transformative healthcare industry shift of utilizing the home as a healthcare hub. While COVID-19 accelerated the shift to using the home as a healthcare hub, the wheels were already in motion. Spurred by consumer insistence on convenience, revolutionary healthcare technology, and the ability to improve care while reducing costs, the acceleration to healthcare at home is expected to continue even after the pandemic subsides.
After many information packed blogs in 2021, we thought a recap might be helpful to refresh your memory or get you up to speed. Keep reading for a quick recap of each of our blogs in the Healthcare at Home series, and click on the links to read them in full! Be sure to come back to check out our blog in 2022 as we continue to bring you more insightful and informative blogs on healthcare at home.
Shifting Policy Landscape
Our first in-depth blog in the Healthcare at Home series looked at the shifting policy landscape that is helping to accelerate and incentivize the healthcare at home shift. From CMS’s expansion of the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model to the bipartisan Choose Home Care Act of 2021 that was introduced, it is clear that policymakers are trying to incentivize the shift by tying quality care to payments through value-based payment models. To read the whole Healthcare at Home Blog Series: Shifting Policy Landscape blog, click here.
The Benefits of Healthcare at Home
Our next blog took a deep dive into the benefits of healthcare at home as this is what is truly driving the industry transformation. Not only do customers prefer to receive healthcare from the comfort of their homes, but studies also show that this leads to improved patient outcomes. In addition, healthcare at home programs can eliminate fixed costs associated with operating brick-and-mortar facilities, which reduces overall healthcare costs. To learn more about the benefits, read the whole Healthcare at Home Blog Series: The Benefits of Healthcare at Home blog by clicking here.
Innovative Health Care Technology
Innovative health care technology has played a big role in the ability to deliver healthcare services at home. While telehealth is a big reason that healthcare at home is possible, there are other technological advancements that have come about recently that are responsible as well. From mobile computing devices with bar code and RFID capabilities to advancements in remote monitoring devices, healthcare technology has come a long way in recent years. To read the whole Healthcare at Home Blog Series: Innovative Health Care Technology blog, click here.
Hospital at Home Programs
The shift has also led to an increase in hospital at home (HaH) programs across the country. These programs allow patients to receive in-patient hospital-level care from the comfort of their own homes and can lead to better patient outcomes are reduced costs. While HaH programs are not new, the COVID-19 pandemic helped fuel their rapid growth in the United States. During the COVID-19 pandemic, CMS launched the Acute Hospital Care at Home Program, which expanded their Hospital Without Walls initiatives and advanced HaH care across the country. To read more about the various Hospital at Home programs, read the whole Healthcare at Home Blog Series: Hospital at Home Programs blog, by clicking here.
Companies Expanding Healthcare at Home
With the transformative industry shift leading to increased revenues, there has been an increase in companies expanding healthcare at home. In fact, with an estimate that up to $250 billion of US healthcare spending could potentially be shifted to virtual or virtually enabled care, it’s no surprise that big investments are being made in the space as companies try to stake their claim or expand market share. To learn more about big players in the healthcare at home arena, read the whole Healthcare at Home Blog Series: Companies Expanding Healthcare at Home blog, by clicking here.
Addressing SDoH with Healthcare at Home
Last, but certainly not least, we looked into social determinants of health in a two-part blog. The first blog, Exploring Social Determinants of Health provided an in-depth look at what social determinants of health (SDoH) are. They are defined by WHO as “the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life.” We examined examples of SDoH, how they play a big role in overall health outcomes, and the importance of healthcare providers and human services organizations collaborating together to address them.
Our follow-up blog, Addressing SDoH with Healthcare at Home, took a deeper look into how the shift to healthcare at home can help providers address SDoH. These programs give healthcare providers a unique glimpse into consumers’ lives and they can view things like diet, relationships, living environment, and other factors that they normally wouldn’t be privy to. By identifying SDoH, providers can incorporate them into care plans to provide whole-person care, which can improve health outcomes.
Healthcare at Home Blog Series: Final Thoughts
These last few months we have taken a deep dive into the healthcare at home arena and now you can consider yourself caught up. As advocates first, we will continue to stay abreast of all the healthcare at home topics that we’ve covered in our series and, as always, will update you on them, as well as other important and relevant value-based payment topics. Stay tuned in 2022 for more updates on healthcare at home.
If you have any questions on healthcare at home or would like to learn more about XtraGlobex or value-based payments, feel free to reach out to us.
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About the Author
Fady Sahhar brings over 30 years of senior management experience working with major multinational companies including Sara Lee, Mobil Oil, Tenneco Packaging, Pactiv, Progressive Insurance, Transitions Optical, PPG Industries and Essilor (France).
His corporate responsibilities included new product development, strategic planning, marketing management, and global sales. He has developed a number of global communications networks, launched products in over 45 countries, and managed a number of branded patented products.
About the Co-Author
Mandy Sahhar provides experience in digital marketing, event management, and business development. Her background has allowed her to get in on the ground floor of marketing efforts including website design, content marketing, and trade show planning. Through her modern approach, she focuses on bringing businesses into the new digital age of marketing through unique approaches and focused content creation. With a passion for communications, she can bring a fresh perspective to an ever-changing industry. Mandy has an MBA with a marketing concentration from Canisius College.