Innovation Work
Innovation work

All Atrius Health innovation projects stem from real pain points that plague our patients and our system.

In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, doctors and other healers routinely made house calls to deliver medical care. But as technology and medicine evolved, care moved out of the home and into the office and hospital. We reflected on this evolution and asked ourselves: how can we get back to a care model that’s convenient, accessible, and valuable for patients? At Atrius Health, new systems are taking shape that ask patients to sacrifice less – less time and effort traveling to their doctors, less waiting to get sick, less money – and give them more – more opportunities to stay well, prevent issues from escalating, and heal with comfort and dignity.

ED care at home

When an acute medical issue crops up for someone who is already very sick or homebound, getting to an emergency department or urgent care center may be necessary but also scary, confusing, and difficult. The ED at Home program, provided by the Medically Home Group, eliminates the toughest parts of an ED visit and brings the ED’s value – rapid diagnostic and therapeutic services – into the home. A community paramedic arrives at the patient’s home within two hours of a referral and, working closely with a remote MD, provides safe, quality care and determines what the patient needs next.
  

Hospital care at home

Nobody wants to go to the hospital, even when you need to. So, what if the hospital came to you? That’s the central question behind Medically Home, a typically 30-day program that safely shifts acute care from hospitals to patients’ homes and builds in time for healing and improved self-care. The clinicians at Medically Home provide in-person care to patients, monitor them remotely, and are available to them and their families 24/7. The result is hospital-level care with the convenience, comfort, and normalcy of remaining at home – a game-changer for patients and their caregivers who are often in and out of the hospital. 

Outpatient IV therapy

Imagine Mr. B, an 88 year-old frail man with congestive heart failure who requires frequent hospitalizations for IV Lasix therapy, usually provided in a crowded ER. As part of our efforts to provide high-quality, patient-centered, cost-effective care, Atrius Health has designed an outpatient IV Lasix therapy program to meet the needs of patients like Mr. B – without the discomfort and cost of an ER visit or hospitalization.