The Health Transition - Hospital in the Home

Like many countries around the world, Australia is undergoing a lot of change in the health care system to make it more effective, accessible and affordable. 

One of the important changes is the delivery of hospital-level care in people’s homes. In many instances patients now may elect to have their care at home instead of going into hospital.  

These programs are collectively known as Hospital in the Home (HITH).  

The option to give people care at home offers greater choice for patients. It’s a more comfortable environment for patients and it allows support staff to work closer to home, which means less travel time and a more efficient use of resources.

Medibank at Home

Medibank has been a strong advocate for its customers to be able to choose to have their care at home if it’s clinically appropriate.

Medibank has a range of Medibank at Home programs including:

• Hospital at Home
• Infusions at Home
• Palliative Care at Home
• Rehab at Home
• Chemo at Home
• Dialysis at Home.

Each of these programs delivers hospital-level care. If clinically appropriate, eligible Medibank customers may leave hospital and receive their care at home from health professionals. ^~  

Hospital in the Home

Public hospitals also have HITH programs which help them deliver care to more patients and ensure hospital beds are available for the sickest of patients who really need to be in hospital. Amplar Health, Medibank’s health business, partners with the State health department in South Australia (SA Health) to deliver My Home Hospital.  This service, also known as a virtual hospital, has unique features including: 

• A Virtual Care Centre where doctors and nurses work together to conduct virtual monitoring of each patient’s vital signs, organise all their care, do telehealth and video consultations, and intervene quickly if patients are getting sicker.
• Remote monitoring technology for use in the home to collect a patient’s vital signs.
• A network of nurses and allied health providers who deliver face-to-face care in the home.
• The ability to take referrals not only from hospitals and emergency departments, but also from GPs and aged care facilities. 

Types of conditions HITH delivers care for

All HITH services deliver care for similar types of conditions, including: 

• Infections, particularly if needing antibiotics through a drip 
• Worsening of chronic conditions such as heart failure, diabetes and chronic lung disease 
• Wound care that needs specialised support 
• Post-surgery management for patients who need additional care and support 
• Patients who need some extra support at home to recover safely.

Hospital in the Home offers flexible care options for patients so they can be treated in the comfort of their own home with support from a team of health professionals.

Want to know more about Medibank at Home?

As always, we’re here to help. Call 1300 733 338 to find out more and to see if you’re eligible or visit the Medibank at Home webpage.