Mayo Clinic Utilizes Paramedics in New Home Care System

Leader-Telegram, Eau Claire, Wis.

Mayo Clinic announced a new care model that will deliver innovative, comprehensive and complex care to patients—all from the comfort of home via a new technology platform.

According to a news release from Mayo Clinic Health System:

Through advanced care at home, patients with conditions previously managed in a hospital will have the option to transition to a home setting and receive compassionate, high-quality virtual and in-person care and recovery services.

In August, Mayo Clinic Health System will begin offering advanced care at home enrollment in northwest Wisconsin. The program was made available at Mayo Clinic’s Jacksonville, Florida, campus beginning in July.

Under the direction of Mayo Clinic physicians, advanced care at home offers comprehensive and restorative health care services including infusions, skilled nursing, medications, laboratory and imaging services, behavioral health, and rehabilitation services from a network of paramedics, nurses and an ecosystem of support team members.

This initiative, part of the Mayo Clinic Platform, brings these elements together for a seamless care experience at home, combining technology, innovation, and clinical expertise to ensure that the needs of the patient come first.

“We are excited to be able to offer this new model of medical care to the residents of Wisconsin,” says Margaret Paulson, D.O. chief clinical officer for advanced care at home at Mayo Clinic Health System’s northwest Wisconsin region. “Advanced care at home is a newly emerging model of care that will provide patients the treatment and recovery services they need while in the comfort of their homes. We believe this program has the potential to transform health care as we know it; truly impacting health care delivery across the globe, especially in rural settings.”

Though advanced care at home was in the planning stages before COVID-19, the pandemic has accelerated the need to expand virtual care options for patients.

“As a physician, I have always believed that patients should receive the right care, at the right time, in the right setting to restore wellness rapidly. During COVID-19, we’ve learned that patients expect more virtual and remote care than ever. The Mayo Clinic Platform, in collaboration with its partner Medically Home, has assembled the technology and expertise to deliver high quality, acute care in non-traditional settings like the home. Offering patients this new option is part of Mayo Clinic’s Cure. Connect. Transform. strategy,” says John Halamka, M.D., president, Mayo Clinic Platform.

The combination of patient demand for consumer-centered models, advanced care at home offerings, innovations in technology, regulatory flexibility and the need for flexible capacity within the health care system is the impetus for this new care offering.

“We know that in the future, medical care will need to take advantage of technology and innovation but retain the human touch,” says Richard Helmers, M.D., regional vice president of Mayo Clinic Health System’s northwest Wisconsin region.

Mayo Clinic selected Medically Home, a Boston-based technology-enabled services company, as its implementation partner for this program. Medically Home enables medical providers to shift advanced medical care to patients’ homes safely. It offers an integrated technology platform and network of in-home services that allow care directed by Mayo Clinic physicians and providers.

Patients who qualify and opt in to this alternative care setting quickly transition from the hospital directly to the home. Having patients who can transition home more rapidly opens up resources to respond to other needs such as COVID-19 and other complex pressures on the health care system.

Last year, Mayo Clinic launched the Mayo Clinic Platform, a coordinated portfolio approach to create new platform ventures and leverage emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, connected health care devices and natural language processing. The Mayo Clinic Platform design includes an ecosystem of partners that complement Mayo Clinic’s clinical capabilities and provide access to scalable solutions. Mayo Clinic has invested in Medically Home as it is a strategic component of the Mayo Clinic Platform.