Healthcare at Home

A radical shift in the provision of healthcare is occurring. Within the past decade, advances in medical technology, changes in reimbursement structures, the desires and complex care needs of an aging population, and innovative care delivery models have initiated a shift from providing care in hospitals to outpatient settings. And more recently, the acceleration and amplification of these factors is pushing healthcare options even further from the traditional inpatient and outpatient settings towards acute and subacute care in the home. There are advantages and challenges to providing care in the home. It can be cost-effective and convenient, reducing unnecessary hospital admissions and giving patients the opportunity to receive the care they need where they are most comfortable. But as a newer model of care, there is not a well established base of knowledge for undertaking this type of service or for supporting it through the built residential environment.