Medically Home’s business is bringing services that are traditionally delivered at a hospital bedside into the home. So it was only a matter of time until the company brought the emergency department (ED) to patients in their home.

On Tuesday, Medically Home announced its ED in Home program for medically complex patients. The ED in Home model was originated by Medically Home, and designed by emergency care physicians.

“Medically Home is committed to decentralizing care outside of facilities, and back to where people, patients and their families feel best — which is in their homes,” Dr. Pippa Shulman, chief medical officer at Medically Home, told Home Health Care News.

Boston-based Medically Home partners with organizations to help them deliver hospital-at-home services. The company does this by helping its partners coordinate in-home clinician visits, in addition to any necessary technology, equipment, medication or other supplies.

Unlike hospital at home, which takes care of patients who require inpatient hospital care, ED in Home is for patients who have undifferentiated complaints that require emergency department evaluation.

This can mean patients with shortness of breath, a new cough or fever, or a patient who’s had a fall and needs evaluation. If they’ve broken a hip, for example, according to Shulman.

“[ED in Home] brings the best diagnostics and therapeutics to patients’ homes so that patients can avoid the stress and expense and chaos of the emergency room,” she said. “We’ve shown that we can actually reduce hospital admissions and provide better service to patients in the safe environment of their homes.”

Indeed, patients in Medically Home’s ED in Home program are less likely to need ongoing hospital care.

“We know there are reasons for hospitalization – particularly for patients with chronic illness – not often related to medical issues,” Shulman said. “It is related to lifestyle issues or social determinant issues. For instance, medication adherence and safety issues in the home. To be able to go into the home and evaluate the patient in their natural environment … allows us to create a care plan for patients.”

For example, if a COPD patient isn’t taking their inhalers properly, clinicians can give them a breathing treatment, medications and show them how to take their medications and store them properly. Plus, the care team can create a care plan that works at the individual’s home.

“Now, if that patient comes to the emergency department, the physician doesn’t know what they’re sending this patient home to,” Shulman said. “Often, the safest option might be to keep them in the hospital.”

So far, the ED in Home program has served almost 5,000 patients and 81% stayed at home without requiring transfer to the hospital for further evaluation. Hospital admissions dropped by 45% to less than 25% of patients needing hospitalizations.

Plus, the program saw high patient satisfaction scores.

Currently, ED in Home is available at participating health systems in Massachusetts, but Medically Home has plans to further expand these services throughout the year.

Looking ahead, Shulman believes that the company’s ED in Home model is one that will become common at other health care organizations in the future.

“Emergency departments in this country were overcrowded before COVID,” she said. “There were reports on the crisis in our hospitals in 2019. They continue to be places where people are unfortunately waiting. Not being able to be seen doesn’t make anyone feel good. To be able to triage patients to the right point of care is better for our health care system, and most importantly better for patients and their caregivers.”