UC Davis Health has played a key role in helping the American Medical Association (AMA) put together a comprehensive framework of medical services that can be delivered at home. The AMA created the Health at Home framework after extensive research, input from experts and interviews with 10 organizations, including UC Davis Health. It includes the services that are already provided at home now or have the potential to be delivered that way.

It also highlights the infrastructure needed to successfully implement the framework.

The article, released July 17^th on the AMA’s website, provides valuable insights into putting a care at home program into place and using digital technologies to enhance patient care.

Vimal Mishra, the head of digital care at UC Davis Health and co-author of the article, emphasized the significance of this framework: “Advances in digital and health care technologies, logistics, and emerging value-based care models are revolutionizing health care delivery. The framework presented in this publication empowers hospitals and health systems to accelerate the adoption of Health at Home programs, ultimately improving outcomes, patient and caregiver experiences.”

Traditionally, health care services have been primarily offered in clinics, physicians' offices, and medical facilities. However, the growing burden of disease and an aging population have strained capacity and stretched care teams thin. Fortunately, advancements in technology, innovation, and policy have expanded the scope of care that can be provided in patients' homes. Today, most care at home programs offer acute, chronic, preventative and end-of-life services.

“With these advanced capabilities, we can once again bring care back into the patient's home when appropriate, leading to improved outcomes, better access, and enhanced experiences,” Mishra stated. “Health at Home also enables more personalized patient care by capturing crucial information about the patient's home environment and social determinants of health.”

Research from the AMA indicates that care at home programs yield numerous benefits, including increased capacity, reduced costs, and heightened patient satisfaction. Furthermore, these programs have the potential for positive impact at both individual and population health levels.

With these advanced capabilities, we can once again bring care back into the patient's home when appropriate, leading to improved outcomes, better access, and enhanced experiences.” —Vimal Mishra

“In developing any care model, our aim is to ensure that patients receive the right care, at the right time, using the right approach, resulting in successful outcomes and positive experiences,” Mishra explained. “As Health at Home programs and other innovative health care delivery models continue to expand, we anticipate even more benefits, such as bolstering physician satisfaction and addressing staffing challenges.”

As a national leader in health at home care, UC Davis Health is embarking on an innovative care- at-home journey, providing diverse services from chronic to end-of-life, with more initiatives on the horizon.

Key individuals from UC Davis Health were acknowledged for their expertise and contributed their insights to the article. They include:

• Ron Amodeo, chief strategy officer
• Olivia Marie Campa, assistant clinical professor of internal medicine
• Michael Condrin, interim chief administrator for UC Davis Medical Center and chief operating officer of the hospital division
• Reshma Gupta, chief of population health and accountable care
• BJ Lagunday, executive director of ambulatory clinics and population health
• Mithu Molla, chief of hospital medicine