Home Hospital

What Is Home Hospital?

Home Hospital is an innovative clinical service that helps our patients maximize their time at home. When illness develops and is significant enough to require a hospital stay, Home Hospital can deliver hospital-level care in the comfort of your own home.

You can think of Home Hospital as sending the hospital home with you. Home Hospital is more advanced than traditional home health. Just like if you were staying in the hospital, you will have several visits from our Home Hospital clinicians each day to treat your condition until you are safe enough to resume care with your regular clinical team.

Mass General Home Hospital has been operational since April 2017. Common conditions treated by Home Hospital include heart failure, COPD, pneumonia, skin infections such as cellulitis, and urinary tract infections. The Home Hospital team treats other conditions at home if deemed safe to do so.

Services

In addition to care specific to your medical condition, Home Hospital can provide you with:

• Vital sign monitoring (heart rate, blood pressure)
• Lab testing
• Intravenous (IV) fluids and medications
• Oxygen
• Continuous heart monitoring
• X-rays
• Ultrasounds

What to Expect

When transferred to Home Hospital from the Emergency Department or an inpatient floor of the hospital, you will be transported directly to your home and someone from the Home Hospital care team will meet you there. After you get settled at home, your care team will talk to you about a schedule for daily visits, which may be in-person or virtual. The care team will do their best to accommodate your schedule, but the timing of visits may depend on the timing of your medications and your overall clinical needs.

How long you will be treated by Home Hospital depends on your medical needs and care plan. For most patients, this is usually three to five days.

When you are ready to be "discharged" from Home Hospital, your Home Hospital care team will evaluate whether you will need ongoing visiting nurse visits, home physical therapy, or other services.

My Care Team

Your Home Hospital care team remains continually available to you throughout your Home Hospital stay. The Home Hospital team will also be in regular communication with your primary care provider or Mass General specialist regarding your care plan and your progress.

• Your doctor: A Mass General doctor (MD) will oversee your Home Hospital care and will see you at least once in the hospital or after you arrive home.
• Your physician assistant or nurse practitioner: A Mass General nurse practitioner (NP) or physician assistant (PA) will visit you daily in your home and is available by phone 24 hours a day
• Your nurse: A Mass General Brigham Home Care registered nurse (RN) will visit you in your home once or twice per day, depending on your care plan
• Paramedics: A specially trained paramedic may visit you under the direction of your care team during your Home Hospital stay, usually for urgent needs

Visits from Home Hospital clinicians may be in-person or virtual depending on your needs and circumstances.

Cost

Mass General will bill your insurance for Home Hospital care. You may be responsible for copays or other costs based on your insurance plan.

Our Advanced Practice Providers

Ryanne Coulson, PA

Cheme Dolma, NP

Kirsten Dickins, NP

Jennifer Kales, NP

Helen Le, PA

Christina Palmieri, NP

Cristina Portugal, NP

Our Nurses

Amy Costa, RN, BSN

Jodi Fitzpatrick, RN, BSN

Bridget Hutchinson, RN

Beyaneris Lora, RN

Ian McKenna, RN

Stephanie Nwaoha, RN

Christine Parker, RN

Stephanie Simons, RN

Sarita Soares, RN

Our Coordinators

Tracy Houle

Nicole Murphy