Home Hospital Early Adopters Accelerator
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Method: Accelerate Learnings
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Impact Area: Improving Mental Wellness
Born out of opportunity during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Home Hospital Early Adopters Accelerator (HHEAA) supported hospitals and health systems to provide healthcare services in locations other than hospitals, making a more comfortable and less disruptive experience for low-acuity patients and their daily routines while also preserving hospital beds and staff for higher acuity patients.
CaroNova launched the HHEAA in September 2021 to leverage CMS’s emergency Hospital Without Walls waiver, put into place in response to a strain on hospital bed capacity during the pandemic. The waiver provided regulatory flexibility to hospitals to provide care in locations beyond their facilities, including in a patient’s home.
What We Did
Completed Project: Accelerating the Adoption of New Models of Care to Deliver Better Outcomes for Hospitals and Patients
CaroNova worked with Ariadne Labs on three manuscripts about the Accelerator. The first manuscript details the innovative way that the HHEAA, with participation from clinicians and experts across the country and the globe, used the Scrum Agile methodology in a virtual environment to develop knowledge products. The second manuscript explains the outcomes of the HHEAA maintaining regular participation from knowledge product developers to generate a variety of high-quality and useful knowledge products. The third paper describes the business case for using the Scrum Agile methodology in healthcare.
CaroNova provided evidence of the efficacy and local adoption of home hospitals to government relations officers meeting with state delegations in Washington, D.C. to ensure Congressional lawmakers understood the value of home hospitals to the Carolinas. As a result of consistent efforts from home hospital advocates and experts, when Congress passed the Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act in December 2022, it included support for home hospitals. This legislation extended Medicare reimbursement for delivering home hospitals beyond the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
Hospitals that participated in the Accelerator can now serve as peer leaders in providing acute patient care at home. Accelerator hospitals can also use knowledge products from the HHEAA more broadly to improve transitions of care from the hospital to home and improve communication with patients and family caregivers.
As a result of consistent efforts from home hospital advocates and experts, when Congress passed the Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act in December 2022, it included support for home hospital. The waiver program has been extended through September 30, 2030, under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026. The Carolinas are among the national leaders with 46 CMS waivered home hospital sites.
Our Partners
Seven Steps to Innovation & Impact
CaroNova’s approach to pioneering lasting real-world health solutions is systematic, research-driven, collaborative, and community-minded. We purposely identify opportunities where partners can work together to cultivate, co-design, and catalyze health improvements in the Carolinas through our process.
System Change:
Communicate evidence from demonstrations.
Scale and sustain payment and policy reforms.
Resources
Knowledge Products and Descriptions
CaroNova Home Hospital Accelerator Program Video
Hospitals in North and South Carolina may request Home Hospital Accelerator Knowledge Products from CaroNova for no charge by completing this form. Hospitals outside of the Carolinas should contact Ariadne Labs to request KPs.
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Interested In Partnering With Us?
CaroNova brings together healthcare leaders, policymakers, community organizations, and investors to tackle the Carolinas’ most pressing health challenges.
We are always interested in opportunities to bring partners and resources together, support a robust change management process, and provide technical assistance to drive innovation. If you would like to learn more about working with us, please reach out below.
Let’s Create Lasting Change in Healthcare.
