Hackensack Meridian Health Launches Hospital At Home at JFK University Medical Center, One of First Programs in NJ

EDISON, N.J., Feb. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hackensack Meridian Health, New Jersey's largest and most integrated health network, is pleased to announce the launch of Hospital At Home at JFK University Medical Center in Edison, a program that delivers high-quality acute care in the home of a Medicare patient and may ultimately be scalable to the larger patient population.

"Healthcare continues to expand beyond the walls of the hospital and this new program will help us advance strategies to improve outcomes and patient satisfaction while making care more affordable,'' said Robert C. Garrett, FACHE, chief executive officer of Hackensack Meridian Health.

The program is created through a Medicare waiver, which permits hospitals to provide acute care at home to Medicare patients. The network will select patients based on factors that include diagnoses that often result in frequent and costly readmissions to hospitals: uncomplicated Congestive Heart Failure (CHF), pneumonia, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and cellulitis. 

Initially the program will admit a few patients a week and provide the following services delivered in the home: two nursing visits daily; medications delivered to the home including infusions; rehab visits as needed; remote patient monitoring which includes pulse ox, blood pressure, heart rate, weight and temperature. Nutritious meals and home health support can be provided as needed. 

The program was created during the COVID-19 pandemic to help hospitals struggling with bed capacity. In November 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a waiver called the Acute Hospital Care at Home Waiver allowing for hospitals to bill for acute care services that patients receive at home.

"We are proud to offer this innovative program to our community, a new approach that is showing great promise for improving outcomes, meeting the needs of our patients and continuing our efforts to transform care,'' said Amie Thornton, chief hospital executive at JFK University Medical Center.

Research shows that these programs are at least as safe as inpatient care and result in improved clinical outcomes, higher rates of patient satisfaction and reduced healthcare costs. Patients have indicated that they want to receive care at home, especially during the pandemic. According to a recent survey, 85 percent of adults say it should be a high priority for the government to expand Medicare coverage for at-home health care.

Ultimately the network plans to expand the program to other hospitals once the pilot is proven successful. Additionally, Hackensack Meridian Health believes Hospital-at-Home can be scaled significantly to include patients who are not covered by Medicare.

"This program can also provide an excellent opportunity to expand care in underserved communities where transportation may be an issue,'' Mr. Garrett said. "A major strategic priority of the network is to help reduce inequality in care delivery.''

About Hackensack Meridian Health
Hackensack Meridian Health is a leading not-for-profit health care organization that is the largest, most comprehensive and truly integrated health care network in New Jersey, offering a complete range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing care.

Hackensack Meridian Health comprises 17 hospitals from Bergen to Ocean counties, which includes three academic medical centers – Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, JFK Medical Center in Edison; two children's hospitals - Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital in Hackensack, K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital in Neptune; nine community hospitals – Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel, Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair, Ocean Medical Center in Brick, Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, Pascack Valley Medical Center in Westwood, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, and Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin; a behavioral health hospital – Carrier Clinic in Belle Mead; and two rehabilitation hospitals - JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in Edison and Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in Brick.

Additionally, the network has more than 500 patient care locations throughout the state which include ambulatory care centers, surgery centers, home health services, long-term care and assisted living communities, ambulance services, lifesaving air medical transportation, fitness and wellness centers, rehabilitation centers, urgent care centers and physician practice locations. Hackensack Meridian Health has more than 36,000 team members, and 7,000 physicians and is a distinguished leader in health care philanthropy, committed to the health and well-being of the communities it serves.

The network's notable distinctions include having more top-ranked hospitals than anyone in New Jersey, as recognized by U.S. News & World Report. Hackensack University Medical Center is the only hospital in New Jersey with the #1 adult and children's hospital rankings. 

The Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, the first private medical school in New Jersey in more than 50 years, welcomed its first class of students in 2018 to its campus in Nutley and Clifton. The Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI), housed in a fully renovated state-of-the-art facility, seeks to translate current innovations in science to improve clinical outcomes for patients with cancer, infectious diseases and other life-threatening and disabling conditions.

Additionally, the network partnered with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to find more cures for cancer faster while ensuring that patients have access to the highest quality, most individualized cancer care when and where they need it.

Hackensack Meridian Health is a member of AllSpire Health Partners, an interstate consortium of leading health systems, to focus on the sharing of best practices in clinical care and achieving efficiencies. To learn more, visit www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org.

SOURCE Hackensack Meridian Health