/ en Fri, 01 Aug 2025 12:42:47 -0500 Wed, 30 Jul 25 16:05:17 -0500 /center/community-health-improvement-week Mon, 09 Jun 2025 07:00:00 -0500 AHA Center for Health Innovation /center/age-friendly-health-systems/empowering-teams-through-trustee-and-c-suite-leadership-age-friendly-care Wed, 30 Jul 2025 16:05:17 -0500 AHA Center for Health Innovation /center/population-health-fundamentals Wed, 30 Jul 2025 16:00:00 -0500 AHA Center for Health Innovation /center/population-health/community-investment-health/conversations Wed, 30 Jul 2025 11:00:00 -0500 AHA Center for Health Innovation /center/population-health/community-investment-health Wed, 30 Jul 2025 11:00:00 -0500 AHA Center for Health Innovation /center/population-health-management Tue, 29 Jul 2025 09:00:00 -0500 AHA Center for Health Innovation /center/population-health/about Tue, 29 Jul 2025 08:00:00 -0500 AHA Center for Health Innovation /center/population-health Tue, 29 Jul 2025 08:00:00 -0500 AHA Center for Health Innovation /aha-center-health-innovation-market-scan/2025-07-29-how-4-providers-successfully-launched-hospital-home-programs <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-8"><img src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/How-4-Providers-Successfully-Launched-Hospital-at-Home-Programs.png" data-entity-uuid="39b44c89-49ec-4344-a777-d762def894df" data-entity-type="file" alt="How 4 Providers Successfully Launched Hospital-at-Home Programs. The gloved hand of a clinician holds up a home with a large heart on the front of it below a window." width="620" height="381"><p>As the U.S. health care system faces rising capacity constraints and challenges in care access, hospital-at-home and telehealth programs have emerged as powerful tools for delivering patient-centered, evidence-based care beyond hospital walls.</p><p>Clinical and administrative leaders across the country shared how their organizations are scaling these solutions during the 2025 şÚÁĎŐýÄÜÁż Association Leadership Summit last week. They shared how they are improving outcomes, reducing readmissions and eliminating disparities.</p><h2><img src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Advocate-Health.png" data-entity-uuid="72a51778-3fd0-4e58-830a-f728fc93b55c" data-entity-type="file" alt="Advocate Health labcoat with stethoscope and health record clipboard." width="468" height="650" class="align-left">Advocate Health: <span>Rapid HaH Launch</span></h2><p>Advocate Health, for example, rapidly launched its <a href="https://homehealthcarenews.com/2020/11/atrium-health-boosts-capacity-with-virtual-hospital-at-home-model/" target="_blank" title="Home Care Health News: Atrium Health Boosts Capacity with Virtual Hospital-at-Home Model">Hospital at Home (HaH) program</a> at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic — a 10-day sprint from concept to first admission. Since then, <a href="https://www.advocatehealth.com/health-services/advocate-health-at-home" target="_blank" title="Advocate Health Care: Advocate Health at Home">the program</a> has expanded to 12 facilities across two metropolitan areas, serving more than 16,500 patients and avoiding more than 60,000 inpatient bed days, said Daniel E. Davis, M.D., senior medical director of continuing health at the Charlotte, N.C., site.</p><p>The hybrid model combines twice-daily in-home visits from nurses or paramedics with daily virtual provider check-ins, remote monitoring, access to lab services, specialty consults and pharmacy support.</p><p>The result: hospital-grade care delivered in the comfort of home, with better outcomes and higher patient satisfaction. Advocate’s 2024 readmission rate for HaH patients was 0.93, outperforming traditional hospital settings (1.09), and patient satisfaction scores were significantly higher than that of brick-and-mortar hospitals.</p><p>Advocate’s program is payer-agnostic — focused not on insurance coverage, but on clinical appropriateness.</p><p>“When you look at total value, the ROI is clear,” Davis said. “You create capacity, reduce readmissions and have almost zero utilization of skilled nursing facilities. You’re creating a safe place for patients to land in the continuum of care.”</p><h2><img src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Mass-General-Brigham.png" data-entity-uuid="9400f1ce-8a27-420d-9e33-99d911b7471d" data-entity-type="file" alt="Mass General Brigham hospital building." width="468" height="650" class="align-left">Mass General Brigham: <span>Outscoring Apple on Satisfaction</span></h2><p>Mass General Brigham (MGB) likewise has built one of the nation’s largest home hospital programs, unified across five hospitals and serving more than 80% of eligible patients in its service area. Heather O’Sullivan, R.N., president of <a href="https://www.massgeneralbrigham.org/en/patient-care/services-and-specialties/healthcare-at-home" target="_blank" title="Mass General Brigham: Healthcare at Home">Healthcare at Home</a>, emphasized MGB’s conviction that home is the best site of care whenever possible — not just for comfort, but for quality and equitable health outcomes.</p><p>A randomized controlled trial of its program found a 7% 30-day readmission rate vs. 23% for inpatient care, with zero inappropriate medication errors and fewer safety events.</p><p>Patients in the MGB program benefit from a full spectrum of clinical and ancillary services, from remote monitoring and 24/7 command center support to in-home labs, X-rays, physical therapy and medically tailored meal delivery. “Our Net Promoter Score is higher than Apple, and we’re very proud of that,” O’Sullivan said. Patients report better rest, more personalized care and higher levels of trust.</p><p>MGB also provides fair and just access to care by adapting its care model to support unhoused patients. In partnership with the New England Center and Home for Veterans, MGB began providing hospital-level care on-site at a <a href="https://homehealthcarenews.com/2024/11/mass-general-brigham-home-hospital-program-brings-acute-care-to-homeless-veterans/" target="_blank" title="Home Health Care News: Mass General Brigham Home Hospital Program Brings Acute Care To Homeless Veterans ">VA Safe Haven residence</a> for veterans experiencing homelessness. The initiative reflects the session’s theme of addressing structural barriers to care and expanding home hospital access to all populations.</p><h2><img src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/OSU-Wexner-Medical-Center.png" data-entity-uuid="827eaf8a-0eb9-4c8a-b6bd-34546beeb920" data-entity-type="file" alt="OSU Wexner Medical Center hospital building." width="468" height="650" class="align-left">OSU Wexner Medical Center: <span>Reaching Patients Where They Are</span></h2><p>The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center has seen similar success with its <a href="https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/mediaroom/pressreleaselisting/hospital-care-at-home" target="_blank" title="The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center: Ohio State Hospital Care at Home provides hospital-level care in the comfort of patients' homes">Hospital Care at Home (HCaH) model</a>, launched in 2023. The program serves patients in disadvantaged neighborhoods using a hybrid insource/outsource model, and has enrolled more than 500 patients to date.</p><p>Rachit Thariani, chief administrative officer of post-acute and <a href="http://wexnermedical.osu.edu/post-acute-and-home-care-services/home-based-care-services" target="_blank" title="The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center: Home-Based Care Services">home-based care</a>, said patients enrolled in HCaH had significantly lower 30-day readmission rates — just 6.5% in FY2024 and 9.2% in FY2025 — compared with more than 15% among those who declined participation. Importantly, HCaH patients reported overwhelming satisfaction, with 95% rating their experience a 9 or 10 out of 10.</p><h2><img src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Iris-Telehealth.png" data-entity-uuid="0f87a59c-3b8a-4600-b7bb-479b75226fc0" data-entity-type="file" alt="Iris Telehealth. A brain that is half biological and half mechanical. A digital hand shaking a human hand." width="468" height="650" class="align-left">Iris Telehealth: <span>Improving Patient and Provider Satisfaction</span></h2><p>In tandem with hospital-at-home programs, behavioral telehealth is transforming access to mental health care. Tom Milam, M.D., chief medical officer of <a href="https://iristelehealth.com/" target="_blank" title="Iris Telehealth homepage">Iris Telehealth</a> and president of Iris Medical Group, shared how the company supports systems across the care continuum — from emergency departments (EDs) and inpatient units to outpatient therapy and primary care — with on-demand and scheduled virtual behavioral health services.</p><p>Telehealth has helped organizations reduce psychiatric ED consult times by more than 60%, lower inpatient length of stay and improve depression symptoms by 38%. In one example, Texas Health Resources saw a 60% reduction in wait times from referral to first visit, with 18,000 visits delivered in the program’s first year.</p><p>Milam noted that Iris’ integrated telehealth solutions — supported by a <a href="https://iristelehealth.com/services/" target="_blank" title="Iris Telehealth: Behavioral Health Services">behavioral health command center</a>, risk scoring and revenue cycle analytics — allow health systems to scale behavioral care delivery efficiently while enhancing both patient and provider satisfaction.</p><p>All four speakers emphasized that the future of health care lies in scalable, tech-enabled, home-based solutions that close gaps in access to care.</p></div><div class="col-md-4"><div class="sticky"><p><a href="/center" title="Visit the AHA Center for Health Innovation landing page."><img src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/logo-aha-innovation-center-color-sm.jpg" data-entity-uuid="7ade6b12-de98-4d0b-965f-a7c99d9463c5" alt="AHA Center for Health Innovation logo" width="721" height="130" data-entity- type="file" class="align-center"></a></p><p><a href="/center/form/innovation-subscription"><img src="/sites/default/files/2019-04/Market_Scan_Call_Out_360x300.png" data-entity-uuid data-entity-type alt width="360" height="300"></a></p></div></div></div></div>.field_featured_image { position: absolute; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); height: 1px; width: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; border: 0; } .featured-image{ position: absolute; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); height: 1px; width: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; border: 0; } h2 { color: #9d2235; } div.sticky { position: sticky; top: 0; } Tue, 29 Jul 2025 06:15:00 -0500 AHA Center for Health Innovation /aha-center-health-innovation-market-scan/2025-07-29-5-innovators-take-center-stage-aha-leadership-summit <div class="container"><div class="row"><div class="col-md-8"><img src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/5-Innovators-Take-Center-Stage-at-the-AHA-Leadership-Summit.jpg" data-entity-uuid="f2fdd26d-80e6-445e-9c64-8e417eb56edc" data-entity-type="file" alt="5 Innovators Take Center Stage at the AHA Leadership Summit. A speaker at the recent 2025 AHA Leadership Summit, the Advancing Innovation Showcase." width="1280" height="853"><p>At the recent 2025 AHA Leadership Summit, the Advancing Innovation Showcase offered a rapid-fire glimpse into the future of care delivery, workforce support and digital transformation. Featuring five venture-backed companies, the session highlighted innovations built for direct, measurable impact in hospitals and health systems.</p><p>The showcase introduced practical solutions to pressing challenges like clinician burnout, emergency department (ED) crowding, patient engagement and closing gaps in behavioral health and men’s health care. Each presentation offered candid perspectives on potential hurdles and real-world applications.</p><h2><span>Posterity Health:</span> Reimagining Men’s Health through Virtual-First Care</h2><p>Matt Lenz, chief growth officer of <a href="https://posterityhealth.com/" target="_blank" title="Posterity Health homepage">Posterity Health</a>, kicked off the session by addressing a long-overlooked population: men. With 87% of men facing a health concern and 40% lacking a primary care provider, Posterity Health built a virtual-first platform focused on fertility, hormone therapy and preventive care across a man’s life span.</p><p>Posterity’s model combines telehealth, at-home diagnostics and in-person options — allowing patients to access care within 72 hours. The platform has delivered more than 32,000 appointments with an 85+ Net Promoter Score. For employers and health systems, the return on investment is compelling: Early male fertility evaluation can cut time to conception and reduce the need for expensive interventions like in vitro fertilization.</p><h2><span>Therify:</span> Closing the Behavioral Health Gap after Discharge</h2><p>Warren Sadler, CEO of <a href="https://www.therify.co/" target="_blank" title="Therify homepage">Therify</a>, laid bare the crisis in post-discharge behavioral health care. Up to 50% of patients with behavioral health needs are discharged with no follow-up care, which could lead to costly readmissions and poorer outcomes, Sadler said. Therify’s continuity model solves this with smart matching and AI-powered coordination, connecting patients to in-network, culturally aligned therapists within five days of discharge.</p><p>Integrated directly into hospital workflows, Therify supports care teams, manages reminders and follow-ups, and provides closed-loop feedback to clinicians. The result: reduced readmissions, freed inpatient capacity and an 83% appointment show rate driven by identity-aligned care that builds patient trust.</p><h2><span>Loyal Health:</span> Turning Digital Engagement into Measurable Growth</h2><p>Nanette Oddo, CEO of <a href="https://loyalhealth.com/" target="_blank" title="Loyal Health homepage">Loyal Health</a>, addressed a reality that health systems can’t ignore: Patients expect seamless digital experiences and will switch providers if they don’t get them. With one in five patients reporting poor digital engagement as a reason for leaving their providers, Loyal’s platform helps hospitals transform clicks into conversions.</p><p>Loyal’s Care Activation Platform powers provider search, scheduling, CRM outreach and reputation management, all integrated with real-time electronic health record (EHR) data. In one case study, a large health system replaced more than 20 vendors with Loyal’s centralized tools and increased self-scheduled appointments by 46%. Across its clients, Loyal has supported more than 6 million provider searches and 70,000+ scheduled appointments.</p><h2><span>Mednition:</span> AI That Saves Lives And Reduces Burnout</h2><p>ED crowding and nurse burnout can impact patient safety and health system finances. Deena Brecher, chief nursing officer at <a href="https://mednition.com/" target="_blank" title="Mednition homepage">Mednition</a>, introduced KATE AI — a nurse-first, real-time risk intelligence platform that integrates directly into clinical workflows with no extra steps.</p><p>KATE continuously scans EHR data to flag high-risk patients and alert care teams in real time. The platform has helped hospitals reduce ED length of stay by 10%, cut inpatient stay for sepsis patients by 24 hours and increase high-risk patient identification by 93%.</p><h2><span>Pieces:</span> Lightening Clinician Workloads with Voice-to-Voice AI</h2><p>Ruben Amarasingham, M.D., CEO of <a href="https://www.piecestech.com/" target="_blank" title="Pieces Tech homepage">Pieces</a>, shared how documentation burdens are driving clinician burnout. Physicians spend nearly seven hours completing EHRs during an eight-hour clinic day, with 81% reporting that documentation interferes with care, he said. Pieces' AI platform acts as a virtual assistant by transforming quick voice conversations into ready-to-sign notes, discharge summaries and task updates.</p><p>From inpatient to discharge, Pieces supports clinicians with real-time summaries and SafeRead, its AI-powered review system that ensures documentation accuracy. The result: a 31% reduction in cognitive load and 80% to 92% physician adoption.</p></div><div class="col-md-4"><div class="sticky"><p><a href="/center" title="Visit the AHA Center for Health Innovation landing page."><img src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/logo-aha-innovation-center-color-sm.jpg" data-entity-uuid="7ade6b12-de98-4d0b-965f-a7c99d9463c5" alt="AHA Center for Health Innovation logo" width="721" height="130" data-entity- type="file" class="align-center"></a></p><p><a href="/center/form/innovation-subscription"><img src="/sites/default/files/2019-04/Market_Scan_Call_Out_360x300.png" data-entity-uuid data-entity-type alt width="360" height="300"></a></p></div></div></div></div>.field_featured_image { position: absolute; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); height: 1px; width: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; border: 0; } .featured-image{ position: absolute; overflow: hidden; clip: rect(0 0 0 0); height: 1px; width: 1px; margin: -1px; padding: 0; border: 0; } h2 { color: #9d2235; } div.sticky { position: sticky; top: 0; } Tue, 29 Jul 2025 06:00:00 -0500 AHA Center for Health Innovation