Time in the hospital is something most people want to avoid, even when they need care.

To meet patients where they are, Mercy and Maribel Health, have launched the “Mercy Hospital-at-Home” program, the first in the region. It provides hospital-level care in the comfort and convenience of a patients’ homes, according to a press release.

What You Need To Know

  • Mercy Hospital-at-Home provides hospital-level care in the comfort and convenience of a patients’ homes

  • The program is designed to cover all aspects of clinically appropriate care but inside the home so people can recover in a more familiar environment

  • A dedicated, interdisciplinary team of acute care-level doctors, nurses, pharmacists and others will oversee patients through a combination of in-person and virtual visits

  • Mercy plans to initiate the program in the St. Louis region this fall and eventually expand across all the communities Mercy serves

"Hospitals will always be needed, though we must think differently to meet our patients' changing needs," said Ursula Wright, a family nurse practitioner, Mercy chief clinical excellence officer and vice president of care transitions. "When someone is in the hospital, it can be difficult for them, and it often creates challenges for their loved ones in a variety of ways. For select patients who choose to be part of the program, Mercy Hospital at Home will reduce those burdens and provide the same high-quality care they expect from Mercy in their own environment where they feel most comfortable and can heal most easily."

The program is designed to cover all aspects of clinically appropriate care but inside the home so people can recover in a more familiar environment.

A dedicated, interdisciplinary team of acute care-level doctors, nurses, pharmacists and others will oversee patients through a combination of in-person and virtual visits. Patients will receive monitoring equipment, medication, therapy and other services in their home, as needed.

"We know from Mercy's virtual care experience over the past decade that providing care at home gives us insight to better understand and advise patients in their own environment," Wright said.

Mercy plans to initiate the program in the St. Louis region this fall and eventually expand across all the communities Mercy serves.

"Mercy's virtual care experience is dramatically ahead of other health systems with its virtual care experience," said Dr. Ronald Paulus, Maribel president and CEO. "With Mercy's impressive capabilities to support its patients with advanced care in the home, this collaboration creates a new opportunity to help ease the burden of overcrowded ERs and hospitals. We've found that not only are patients happier when they receive excellent care at home, but so are caregivers. Caregivers with simpler workflows are more content, more efficient and deliver higher-quality care more consistently."