Skilled Nursing Facility at Home: A Pilot

We seek to pilot a randomized controlled evaluation of skilled nursing facility care at home. We plan to enroll patients who would normally be sent to a skilled nursing facility following following hospitalization. As a substitute for a skilled nursing facility, we will deploy a technology-enabled team to the home to care for patients.

Post-acute care (PAC) encompasses the wide range of rehabilitative services used to restore a patient's maximal functional status following discharge from an acute hospitalization with the goal of restoring healthful aging. Approximately 40% of all hospitalized Medicare beneficiaries utilize PAC, accounting for 20% of all Medicare expenditures. PAC is a fast-growing segment of Medicare, and for some conditions, Medicare spending on PAC nearly equals that of the initial hospitalization, with skilled nursing facility (SNF) PAC accounting for most of these trends. The quality of SNF PAC is suspect, with substantial regional variation, insufficient physical therapy delivery, high readmission rates, poor attention to whole-person care, and poor patient experience. Given these concerns, some experts have called for national improvement.

The investigators propose a home-based PAC model that substitutes for treatment in a traditional SNF PAC facility. We believe that rehabilitation following hospitalization in one's home has several benefits: support tailored to one's actual living circumstances, an environment that encourages earlier mobilization, support of and interaction with family and caregivers, and psychosocial benefits of being at home. To promote aging in place, the investigators plan to deploy an innovative and tailored set of SNF PAC services delivered in a patient's home that would allow for discharge from the hospital directly to home, despite the need for more intensive rehabilitative care not currently found in the home setting. The investigators plan to combine a high-touch and high-tech approach that combines novel uses of personnel practicing at the very top of their license (certified nursing assistants, nurses, home health aides) with novel uses of technology (virtual physical therapy with three-dimensional camera feedback, continuous monitoring, and video visits).

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

* \>=18 years old
* Requires skilled nursing facility care following hospitalization, as determined by inpatient team
* Lives within 10 miles of Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) or Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital (BWFH)
* Has capacity to consent
* Likely to return to community dwelling status
* Patient on medical service

  * Pending low volume, we reserve ability to phase in patients on surgical services, including orthopedic trauma

Exclusion Criteria:

* Social

  * Undomiciled
  * No working heat (October-April), no working air conditioning if forecast \> 80°F (June-September), or no running water
  * In police custody
  * Resides in facility that does not allow advanced on-site medical care
  * Domestic violence screen positive
* Clinical

  * Requires care of new ostomy or teaching ostomy care associated with complication
  * Requires frequent suctioning, tracheostomy, and/or ventilator needs
  * Requires significant durable medical equipment not already in place at home (e.g., Hoyer lift)
  * Home unable to accommodate patient in current state as determined by the SNF-at-Home Checklist for Home
  * Acute delirium
  * End stage renal disease on hemodialysis
  * On methadone requiring daily pickup of medication
  * Requires administration of intravenous controlled substances
  * Requires administration of specialty medications not already in place at home
  * Requires transfusion of blood products
  * Requires multiple transfers back and forth to hospital for specialty medical care
* Home SNF census is full