New Jersey Hospital Launches Hospital-at-Home Program

A collaboration between Sena Health and Salem Medical Center has combined several aspects of technology and provider expertise to create a hospital-at-home program known as Salem Acute Care at Home, which aims to provide acute care for patients at home.

Sena Health offers treatment options through at-home care for numerous conditions. It provides 23 hospital-level services facilitated through a care coordination center.

Salem Medical Center, a New Jersey-based hospital, will soon join Inspira Health Network. The 100-year-old hospital includes a 26-bed inpatient psychiatric unit and a digital imaging suite. 

Together with Sena Health, Salem Medical Center has created the Salem Acute Care at Home program to offer various at-home care services for patients, ranging from telehealth to a provider visiting them in their homes. In-person visits may occur as frequently as twice daily, and remote patient monitoring is continuous. Patients are admitted into the program through the emergency department, where clinicians confirm their eligibility.

"The Salem Acute Care at Home program allows us to deliver high-quality care to the diverse communities we serve," said Tammy Torres, DNP, CEO of Salem Medical Center, in a press release.

Providers regard the program as effective, providing benefits to them as well as patients.

"We cared for a patient with congestive heart failure in the comfort of her home, where otherwise she would have been admitted to the hospital," said Wamiq Sultan, MD, chief medical officer of Salem Medical Center, in a press release. "The patient, family, and clinician experience were seamless, as we all felt continuously supported by the team at Sena Health."

Further, the hospital plans to expand the program to include more patients and conditions.

The creation of acute care at-home programs is becoming a common practice and has widely grown alongside technological advancements.

Driven to enhance patient comfort and increase hospital capacity, Vanderbilt University Medical Center created an at-home care program in February. The program allows patients to receive an in-person visit from a provider twice a day and includes consistent monitoring of vital signs.

Hackensack Meridian Health created a similar program in February. After being confirmed as eligible for the program, patients receive various services such as nursing visits, the delivery of medications, rehabilitation visits, and remote patient monitoring. 

In July, Tampa General Hospital created an at-home care program to allow patients to remain in their homes and avoid long travel times. The program offers patients the ability to engage in telehealth. It also involves providers commuting to patient homes to hold in-person visits.