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Problem
Children with chronic respiratory conditions may require long-term ventilatory assistance, which puts them at a heightened risk of being admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU). Ongoing follow-up and care coordination is needed to manage complications and prevent ICU admissions, which take a significant toll on patients and families.
Solution
Children's Hospital Boston Home Ventilation Program provides "house calls" for children who are ventilator-dependent due to congenital abnormalities, muscular dystrophy, spinal cord injuries and other causes. By providing these services, the program aims to reduce Emergency Department (ED) visits and ICU admissions.
The care team of physicians and respiratory therapists offers a range of in-home services including physical examination, pulmonary function tests, equipment set-up and adjustment, patient education and acute care. The team also coordinates with each child's primary care provider, specialists and other care providers and supervises perioperative care as needed.
Results
In 2010, providers from the Home Ventilation Program spent 60 days making house calls, completed 322 visits across New England and worked with 171 ventilator-dependent children. The team predicts that if the program can help 100 children avoid one hospital day or one ED visit per child every year, it will eliminate an estimated $1 million in payments annually.
Recently, the Home Ventilation Program received a grant from the Provider-Payor Quality Initiative to add a social worker and nurse practitioner to the team. The team also received funding from Children's Innovation Acceleration Program to add telemedicine capabilities, which will allow remote patient monitoring and reduce the need for house calls and ED visits.
More information:
childrenshospital.org/HomeVentilation
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