DispatchHealth and Emory Healthcare Announce Collaboration to Offer In-Home Care to Patients in Metro-Atlanta

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Jun 15, 2023, 08:00 ET

DENVER and ATLANTA, June 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Emory Healthcare and DispatchHealth, the nation's first comprehensive in-home medical care provider, are collaborating to offer patients a new option to receive convenient and safe follow-up and/or high acuity medical care in the comfort of their own homes. The collaboration is designed to improve access to health care and reduce the total cost of care for patients throughout Atlanta, Georgia and surrounding communities.

Working closely with Emory Healthcare, DispatchHealth brings the power of the hospital to the comfort of patients' homes through three programs: Acute Care, Bridge Care and ED to Home.

Patients can request DispatchHealth's Acute Care for a wide range of acute medical services including injuries and illnesses, viral infections, COPD exacerbations, congestive heart failure, urinary infections and more. Once requested, an emergency care-trained DispatchHealth medical team with the necessary tools and treatments, including on-site diagnostics, which include a CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act)-certified lab, provides in-home care to the patient. DispatchHealth is open seven days a week (8 a.m. to 10 p.m. in metro Atlanta), 365 days a year, including holidays. To request care, patients can call 678-400-3240 or visit DispatchHealth.com.

Additionally, in collaboration with Emory Healthcare, DispatchHealth will supplement the health system's efforts to provide timely care after a patient's ER visit or hospitalization. DispatchHealth's ED to Home program, developed during the pandemic, aims to reduce post-discharge returns to the ED. The program serves identified patients who are stable enough to discharge from the ED but need follow-up evaluation and care from a provider soon after discharge. ED-to-Home brings hospital-level care to medically complex patients within 72 hours of discharge.

Through DispatchHealth's Bridge Care program, patients identified as being at high risk of hospital readmission will have access to proactive in-home care within 48 hours post-discharge from an acute care hospital stay. This service helps identify gaps in care and 'bridge' the patient back to their primary care physician or specialist.

"We are excited to join forces with DispatchHealth to bring new care models which provide more convenience for patients while leveraging established providers who can assist with this approach," says Will ElLaissi, director of innovation at Emory Healthcare. "We are committed to creating at-home care options for those living in and around Atlanta."

"The site of care for higher acuity needs is rapidly evolving and DispatchHealth's proven care model empowers health systems to go beyond traditional care settings and meet patients where they are," says Mark Prather, MD, MBA, CEO and co-founder of DispatchHealth. "DispatchHealth is committed to value-based collaborations designed to improve access to care, deliver better patient experiences and outcomes and reduce the total cost of care. We are excited to work with Emory Healthcare to expand access to high acuity care to complex patients in their homes."

"The opportunity for us to find ways to assist patients in their homes with proper care for an acute illness or injury, following an emergency department visit or inpatient stay at one of our hospitals creates enhanced care coordination and overall efficiency for the patients we serve," says Sarah Decaro, MD, associate chief medical officer at Emory University Hospital and assistant professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Hospital Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine. "We want to be able to meet the needs of our patients within the comfort of their homes."

DispatchHealth's complete platform delivers, provides, and coordinates medical care for patients in their homes. Since its founding, DispatchHealth's innovative model of providing high acuity in-home care has proven to save an average of $1,100-1,700 per acute care visit. The collaboration between Emory Healthcare and DispatchHealth brings a combined focus on the continuous improvement of patient health outcomes at a lower cost through expanded access to care.

About DispatchHealth 
DispatchHealth brings the power of the hospital to the comfort of home. We provide comprehensive and trusted medical care in the home to people with serious health concerns —with services that include same-day, urgent medical care; hospital alternative care; and recovery care. DispatchHealth's emergency medicine and internal medicine trained care teams are equipped with all the tools necessary—including imaging and IV infusions—to treat common to complex injuries and illnesses in the home. DispatchHealth is partnered with most major insurance companies and works closely with primary care and specialty care providers, EMS, health systems, senior living facilities, and employers to deliver in-home care that reduces unnecessary emergency room visits, hospital stays and readmissions. Since the company's inception in 2013, our expert medical teams have treated more than one million people in their homes across more than 30 states in the country—resulting in 58% emergency room avoidance, 8.5% 30-day hospital readmission, 98% patient satisfaction, and nearly $1.5 billion in medical cost savings. For more information, visit DispatchHealth.com.

About Emory Healthcare
Emory Healthcare, with nearly 24,000 employees and 11 hospitals, is the most comprehensive academic health system in Georgia. System-wide, it has 2,796 licensed patient beds, more than 3,300 physicians practicing in more than 70 specialties, serving metro Atlanta with 250 locations. It also provides services to greater Georgia through a joint venture at St. Francis–Emory Healthcare Hospital in Columbus, 10 regional affiliate hospitals, and its clinically integrated physician network.

SOURCE DispatchHealth