Paulson, Margaret R.

Background/Objectives: Hospital-at-home (HaH) programs have emerged as an alternative model to brick-and-mortar (BaM) hospital management of acute conditions such as heart failure, pneumonia, pyelonephritis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation among the others. However, the clinical management of acute pancreatitis in the HaH setting has never been described in the literature. The primary objective of this study was to describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with acute pancreatitis managed in a Mayo Clinic Advanced Care at home (ACH) program. The secondary objective was to describe feasibility and short-term clinical outcomes. Methods: This multistate, multicenter, retrospective descriptive study included 40 unique patients with acute pancreatitis managed at ACH between 13 October 2020 and 1 June 2024. Repeat admissions were excluded from the primary analysis. Results: The most common etiologies were idiopathic (42.5%), gallstone-related (22.5%), and alcohol-related (12.5%). Peripancreatic fluid collections occurred in 17.5%, necrotizing pancreatitis in 10.0%, pleural effusion in 12.5%, and infected pancreatitis in 7.5%. Intravenous antiemetics were administered to 22.5%, intravenous fluids to 62.5%, and intravenous opioids to 7.5%. Median total hospital length of stay was 5.0 days (IQR, 3.0–8.25), including a median of 3.0 days (IQR, 2.0–4.0) in ACH. Four patients (10.0%; exact 95% CI, 2.8–23.7%) were transferred from ACH to BaM care. Seven-day and 30-day readmission rates were 10% (95% CI: 2.8%, 23.7%) and 5% (95%CI: 0.6%, 16.9%), respectively. The 30-day emergency department visit was 0%. Although 30-day mortality was 2.5% (95% CI: 0.0%, 13.2%), in-program mortality was 0%. Conclusions: Among a highly selected group of clinically stable patients meeting the program’s eligibility criteria, management of acute pancreatitis in ACH was feasible and was associated with low observed rates of unplanned escalations and short-term adverse outcomes.

Abstract Background Outcomes of patients with acute pyelonephritis (AP) treated in a hospital-at-home setting have not been comprehensively evaluated in the United States. Methods We performed a multicenter, retrospective cohort study of adults diagnosed with and managed for AP in Mayo Clinic's Advanced Care at Home (ACH) program between July 2020 and January 2025. Collected data included demographics, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), genitourinary comorbidities, severity of illness (SOI), and risk of mortality (ROM) scores, as well as pyelonephritis-related complications. Outcomes included length of stay (LOS), escalation of care, and 30-day postdischarge emergency department (ED) visits, readmissions, and mortality. Results A total of 165 patients met inclusion criteria. Median age was 67 years; SOI scores were moderate in 33.3%, major in 52.1%, and extreme in 8.5%. ROM scores were moderate in 30.3%, major in 38.2%, and extreme in 6.7%. Median CCI score was 5, and all patients had preexisting genitourinary conditions. On admission, 30.9% met sepsis criteria, acute kidney injury was present in 47.3%, and bacteremia developed in 33.3%. Median LOS in the ACH program was 3.1 days. Only 4.8% required escalation to a brick-and-mortar hospital. Readmission occurred in 17.0%, and 4.8% had ED visits. No in-program deaths occurred. Conclusions This multicenter retrospective study shows that AP, including cases with high illness severity and complex comorbidities, can be managed safely and effectively in a hospital-at-home setting with careful patient selection and robust infrastructure to support timely escalation when needed.

Hepatic hydrothorax (HH) is a rare but serious complication of end-stage liver disease that is often refractory to conventional medical and procedural management. This case report describes a 75-year-old woman with HH secondary to cirrhosis from metabolic-associated steatotic liver disease. Her clinical course was marked by recurrent hospitalizations, refractory right-sided pleural effusion, and multiple unsuccessful interventions including diuretics, serial thoracenteses, an indwelling pleural catheter, and chemical pleurodesis. Notably, the persistence of pleural fluid despite resolution of ascites ultimately led to the formation of a thoracic fistula, with pleural drainage volumes exceeding 4 L/day. Further invasive procedures, such as transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt or liver transplantation, were declined by the patient. She was enrolled in Mayo Clinic’s hospital-at-home (HaH) program, where continuous intravenous octreotide was initiated at a dose of 25 mcg/h. This resulted in a significant reduction in pleural output—from over 4000 mL to less than 100 mL daily. After clinical stabilization, the patient transitioned to subcutaneous octreotide and remained clinically stable for over 6 months, with improved quality of life and no significant adverse effects. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of continuous intravenous octreotide infusion for HH administered safely in a home-based acute care setting. This case underscores the potential therapeutic role of octreotide in managing refractory HH and highlights the feasibility of delivering complex cirrhosis-related care through a HaH model with multidisciplinary collaboration. Further research is warranted to assess the long-term efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness of octreotide in this context and to explore broader application in home hospital environments.

Abstract Background Hospital‐at‐home programs (HaH) in the United States have evolved to include a virtual‐hybrid delivery model, where all physician encounters are virtual and partnered with a home care team. Objective To examine whether a virtual hybrid HaH program enabled by technology has similar clinical outcomes to traditional brick‐and‐mortar (B&M) hospital care. Methods We conducted a pragmatic trial at three hospitals, randomizing 1150 acutely ill patients requiring hospital care between July 10, 2023, and October 31, 2023 one‐to‐one into two groups: intervention (HaH) and control (B&M). The primary analysis was an intention‐to‐treat non‐inferiority analysis of the primary outcome, which was a composite of 30‐day all‐cause mortality and unplanned readmissions. Secondary outcomes included 30‐day readmission, all‐cause mortality, and patient experience. Results The mean age was 67.8 (standard deviation [SD] 16.3) years, and 52.2% were female. The primary outcome occurred in 99 (17.3%) HaH patients and 114 (19.8%) B&M patients (odds ratio [OR] 0.85, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.63–1.14, p = .28), meeting the non‐inferiority criterion. Thirty‐day unplanned readmission occurred in 84 (14.7%) HaH patients and 101 (17.5%) B&M patients (OR 0.81, 95% CI 0.59–1.11, p = .19). Thirty‐day all‐cause mortality occurred in 25 (4.4%) HaH patients and 19 (3.3%) B&M patients (OR 1.34, 95% CI 0.73–2.46, p = .35). No HaH patients died while receiving their hospital care at home. HaH program was associated with a higher likelihood of patients reporting feeling extremely comfortable or very comfortable (84.4% HaH; 60.9% B&M, p = .001). Conclusion A hybrid HaH model is a safe and comfortable alternative to traditional B&M hospital care.

ABSTRACT Background Hospital at home (HaH) provides hospital‐level care at home as a substitute for brick‐and‐mortar hospital care. Multiple HaH studies demonstrate HaH provides safe, high‐quality, cost‐effective care. However, practices have varied approaches to delivering care and no HaH‐specific national standards exist. We aimed to develop national practice standards for HaH and assess practice performance against the standards. Methods The HaH Users Group (HaHUG), the national convener of HaH practices, assembled the Practice Standards Council in 2019 to develop evidence‐based standards for HaH. We reviewed existing international standards and the requirements of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Acute Hospital Care at Home Waiver. We engaged in multiple iterative rounds to develop domains and standards within each domain and then held an open comment period. We distributed an online survey for all HaHUG practices to self‐assess whether they did not meet (score, −1), met (score, 0), or exceeded (score, +1) each standard. The American Hospital Association's Annual Survey was used to describe practices that did and did not complete the practice standards survey. Results Final practice standards included 31 standards in 7 domains: leadership; education and training; human resources management; quality and quality improvement; safe practice and environment; and clinical standards and protocols. The majority of HaH practices self‐rated that they met or exceeded standards: scores ranged from −5 to 31; mean score of 9.75 (SD, 12.60). Forty‐nine of 213 eligible HaH practices completed the survey (response rate, 23.0%). Most hospitals were large (65% > 299 beds), nonprofit (85%), teaching (90%) centers that cared for a large proportion of patients with Medicaid. Conclusion We present the first national practice standards for HaH. The vast majority of HaH practices met or exceeded these standards by their own assessment. There was a range of performance across standards, demonstrating strengths and opportunities for ongoing development and quality improvement.

Objectives Mayo Clinic’s hospital-at-home program, Advanced Care at Home (ACH), launched in 2020. While hospital-at-home literature reported safe and effective care for the general patient population and those with COVID, comparative outcomes between these two groups were unknown. The aim of this retrospective analysis was to compare the outcomes of COVID and non-COVID patients enrolled in ACH and evaluate if COVID patients can be safely treated in this setting. Methods Demographics, clinical characteristics, and safety outcomes were retrospectively analyzed to compare COVID and non-COVID patients discharged from ACH between November 2020 and May 2022. Patient characteristics analyzed included severity of illness (SOI) and risk of mortality (ROM), calculated using All Patient Refined Diagnosis Related Groups (APR-DRG). Hospitalization-specific variables included length of stay (LOS), escalation of care, and 30-day readmission rates. Results Of 1051 patients, 173 (16%) had COVID, and 878 (84%) were non-COVID patients. The average age in the COVID cohort was 66.6 (15.3) years, compared with 72.2 (14.0) in the non-COVID cohort. Extreme SOI was higher in the COVID group (43.3% versus 17.4%), as was extreme ROM (46.2% versus 16.2%), but LOS was shorter (5.7 versus 7 days). Escalation of care (7.5% in COVID cohort versus 8.4%) and 30-day readmission outcomes (9.2% for COVID patients versus 12.9%) were not statistically different between the groups. Conclusions Despite higher SOI and ROM, COVID patients had shorter LOS with outcomes that were not statistically different from non-COVID patients. COVID patients can be safely and efficiently cared for in ACH.

AbstractBackgroundHospital‐at‐home has become a more recognized way to care for patients requiring inpatient hospitalization. At times, these patients may require escalation of care (transfer from home back to the brick‐and‐mortar (BAM) hospital for ongoing hospitalization care needs), a process that has not been extensively studied.ObjectiveTo evaluate what patient factors contribute to escalations of care in the hospital‐at‐home delivery model.Designs, Settings, and ParticipantsWe conducted a retrospective review of all patients admitted to Mayo Clinic's Advanced Care at Home (ACH) program from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022.InterventionNone.Main Outcomes and MeasuresPatient information was collected via electronic health record including demographic, socioeconomic, and clinical status. The primary outcome was the of occurrence of an escalation.ResultsA total of 904 patients were included, of whom 80 (8.8%) required an escalation of care. In multivariable analysis, risk of an escalation was significantly higher for patients who were married or had a life partner (HR: 1.82, 95% CI: 1.05–3.23, p = .033) for patients admitted with procedure‐related disorders (HR: 2.61, 95% CI: 1.35–5.05, p = .005) and patients with an increased mortality risk score (HR [per each 1–category increase] = 1.86, 95% CI: 1.39–2.50, p < .001).

Advanced Care at Home is a Mayo Clinic hospital-at-home (HaH) program that provides hospital-level care for patients. The study examines patient- and community-level factors that influence health outcomes. The authors performed a retrospective study using patient data from July 2020 to December 2022. The study includes 3 Mayo Clinic centers and community-level data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The authors conducted binary logistic regression analyses to examine the relationship among the independent variables (patient- and community-level characteristics) and dependent variables (30-day readmission, mortality, and escalation of care back to the brick-and-mortar hospital). The study examined 1433 patients; 53% were men, 90.58% were White, and 68.2% were married. The mortality rate was 2.8%, 30-day readmission was 11.4%, and escalation back to brick-and-mortar hospitals was 8.7%. At the patient level, older age and male gender were significant predictors of 30-day mortality ( P -value <0.05), older age was a significant predictor of 30-day readmission ( P -value <0.05), and severity of illness was a significant predictor for readmission, mortality, and escalation back to the brick-and-mortar hospital ( P -value <0.01). Patients with COVID-19 were less likely to experience readmission, mortality, or escalations ( P -value <0.05). At the community level, the Gini Index and internet access were significant predictors of mortality ( P -value <0.05). Race and ethnicity did not significantly predict adverse outcomes ( P -value >0.05). This study showed promise in equitable treatment of diverse patient populations. The authors discuss and address health equity issues to approximate the vision of inclusive HaH delivery.

AbstractBackgroundHospital‐at‐home (HaH) is a growing model of care that has been shown to improve patient outcomes, satisfaction, and cost‐effectiveness. However, selecting appropriate patients for HaH is challenging, often requiring burdensome manual screening by clinicians. To facilitate HaH enrollment, electronic health record (EHR) tools such as best practice advisories (BPAs) can be used to alert providers of potential HaH candidates.ObjectiveTo describe the development and implementation of a BPA for identifying HaH eligible patients in Mayo Clinic's Advanced Care at Home (ACH) program, and to evaluate the provider response and the patient characteristics that triggered the BPA.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsWe conducted a retrospective multicenter study of hospitalized patients who triggered the BPA notification for ACH eligibility between March and December 2021 at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL and Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire, WI. We extracted demographic and diagnosis data from the patients as well as characteristics of the providers who received the BPA notification.InterventionThe BPA was developed based on the ACH inclusion and exclusion criteria, which were derived from clinical guidelines, literature review, and expert consensus. The BPA was integrated into the EHR and displayed a pop‐up message to the provider when a patient met the criteria for ACH eligibility. The provider could choose to refer the patient to ACH, dismiss the notification, or defer the decision.Main Outcomes and MeasuresThe main outcomes were the number and proportion of BPA notifications that resulted in a referral to ACH, and the number and proportion of referrals that were accepted by the ACH clinical team and transferred to ACH. We also analyzed the factors associated with the provider's decision to refer or not refer the patient to ACH, such as the provider's role, location, and specialty.ResultsDuring the study period, 8962 notifications were triggered for 2847 patients. Providers opted to refer 711 (11.4%) of the total notifications linked to 324 unique patients. After review by the ACH clinical team, 31 of the 324 referrals (9.6%) met clinical and social criteria and were transferred to ACH. In multivariable analysis, Wisconsin nurses, physician assistants, and in‐training personnel had lower odds of referring the patients to ACH when compared to attending physicians.

Key Clinical Messages This case report demonstrates a virtual hybrid hospital‐at‐home program can provide inpatient‐level postoperative and rehabilitative care after total knee arthroplasty to a medically complex patient in the comfort of their own home. Abstract Advanced Care at Home combines virtual providers with in‐home care delivery. We report a case of virtual postoperative and rehabilitative care in a medically complex patient who underwent a total knee arthroplasty. This new model of care delivery allows effective patient‐provider communication and meets patient needs in the postoperative period.