The Mater hospital in Dublin recently launched an original project: a health care system of male nurses with bicycle transport in order to provide Home Care services, for the elderly. This a winning formula, both in financial and human terms, which could inspire other hospitals to do the same.
When medical personnel call the hospital for a patient seeking admission, the nurse gets on a bicycle to go to the patients home. The nurse is charged to evaluate the appropriateness of a possible admission to hospital and, if that does not prove necessary, the nurse is entitled to practise the relevant patient care directly in the home.
One of the major advantages of this system is that the elderly do not unnecessarily suffer both the stress of a hospital stay and the trip to the hospital. These home visits by a nurse on a bicycle make it possible, in many cases to avoid the hospital admission of the patient! The financial advantage is the second benefit, because a nurse on a bicycle makes it possible to avoid many of the costs associated with hospital admission.
For Me, this is a fantastic example showing that it's possible to reduce hospitalizations and reduce the cost of healthcare delivery.
Can home health partner with health care payers or managed care providers to reduce admissions? Why not?