Covenant Health Advanced Care at Home has expanded its hospital-at-home model to include patients at Parkwest Medical Center. This innovative service launched earlier in 2023 at Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, also a member of Covenant Health. The health system plans to increase access to this program in the coming months.
To educate staff and guests about the new technology, our partner, Medically Home Group Inc., deployed a “tiny house” in the parking lot of Parkwest Medical Center on August 29, 2023, for a demonstration of Advanced Care at Home. This is the only program of its kind in the region, and Covenant Health was the first to offer it to the people of East Tennessee.
Clinical staff were present to demonstrate and discuss the service that is now available to eligible patients. Groups of invited guests may tour the home and view a demonstration at select times throughout the day.
“We are already seeing the benefits of this program and are thrilled to continue expanding the service to people in West Knoxville,” said John Busigin MD, hospitalist and medical director for Covenant Health Advanced Care at Home.
“Common conditions that would make a patient eligible for this program are heart failure, COPD, asthma and some infections that just require IV antibiotics. With this remote monitoring technology, patients can heal at home while we remain connected to them 24/7. We are receiving positive feedback from those who have been admitted, and this program can help reduce the length of hospital stays and improve patient healing.”
The tiny house is a 3D immersive experience and mobile version of the hospital-at-home model conveys the idea, vision and model of a patient’s Advanced Care at Home journey. Tours featured a home tech kit and real-time interaction with a remote physician who is monitoring patients at home. Staff demonstrated the technology and simulation of the program in a home-setting to showcase the benefits to patients who participate.
Covenant Health Advanced Care at Home is the first in the region to offer hospital-level services and high-acuity care to patients in the comfort and convenience of their own homes. The program combines in-home hospital services, virtual care and remote monitoring for around-the-clock hospital care for eligible patients.
Covenant Health provided information for this article.