Overview
University Health (UH), located in San Antonio, Texas, launched its innovative Hospital at Home (HaH) program to address the evolving needs of acute patient care. They were among the first 40 hospitals nationwide and the first in South Texas to implement this Hospital at Home model, accepting its first patient on July 12, 2021.
The program provides hospital-level services within the patient’s home environment, offering a comfortable and familiar setting for recovery. This model seeks to expand acute bed capacity and provide an alternative to traditional inpatient stays for eligible patients. The program focuses on improving patient experience and outcomes, reducing hospital readmissions, enhancing access to care, and streamlining emergency department throughput. A key component of this initiative is the integration of Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) solutions, provided in partnership with Health Recovery Solutions (HRS), beginning in February 2023.
Challenge
Traditional hospital care faces several challenges, including limitations in bed capacity, potential for hospital-acquired infections, and the growing preference of patients to recover in their own familiar environment. University Health aimed to address these challenges by offering a safe and effective alternative for selected patients requiring acute care.
A critical aspect of this model was ensuring that patients at home received the necessary level of monitoring and support, comparable to what they would receive in a traditional inpatient setting. This required a robust and user-friendly remote monitoring system to track vital signs, facilitate communication, and ensure timely intervention if needed.
To deliver acute-level care in the home setting, University Health partnered with Health Recovery Solutions to implement a comprehensive RPM program.
Solution
To deliver acute-level care in the home setting, University Health partnered with Health Recovery Solutions to implement a comprehensive RPM program. This program utilizes user-friendly Wi-Fi-connected tablets to bridge the digital divide for patients. Patients are equipped with Bluetooth-connected devices such as pulse oximeters, blood pressure monitors, thermometers, and scales, allowing for the continuous and remote monitoring of their vital signs.
The HRS platform enables the Hospital at Home team to remotely monitor patient data, identify trends, and intervene proactively if necessary. The platform even allows nurses to utilize video functionality to connect with patients remotely. The scalability of the solution also allows UH providers the option to transition the patient to a chronic care monitoring post-discharge, providing seamless continuitity of care and supporting long-term patient well-being.
Total Patients Transferred
Total Bed Days Opened
Average Daily Census
Average Length of Stay
Average Patient Age
Results
The integration of HRS RPM into the University Health Hospital at Home program has yielded significant positive outcomes, demonstrating both efficiency and a tangible impact on patient care. Since its inception in February 2023, the RPM program has become a vital component, enrolling a total of 2,155 patients by January 2025. The program has seen consistent adoption, with the average daily census for RPM reaching 28 patients in January 2025, a notable figure compared to the average daily census of 17.5 patients for the entire Hospital at Home program. This indicates a strong reliance on remote monitoring for managing patients in the home setting. A key focus of the program has been to increase the utilization of remote home monitoring, a goal that has been actively pursued and realized. Notably, the time from identifying a patient to activating them on the RPM platform is remarkably efficient, typically taking less than one day.
The Hospital at Home program, powered by HRS RPM, has also demonstrated its ability to effectively manage patient length of stay. For patients enrolled in the RPM program in January 2025, the average length of stay was 7.6 days, while the all-time average since February 2023 stands at 7.2 days. This consistency highlights the program’s efficiency in providing acute-level care in a home environment without extending the duration of necessary treatment. The program has successfully facilitated the transfer of 2,502 patients from traditional hospital beds to the home setting, resulting in the availability of 13,080 bed days within the hospital.
The patient population benefiting from the RPM program encompasses a range of acute conditions, including Diabetes, Sepsis, UTI/Sepsis, COPD, Transplants, Cellulitis, Ulcerative Colitis, and CHF. The average age of patients enrolled in the RPM program in January 2025 was 53 years (though earlier data indicated an average of 56 years). Beyond the operational metrics, the implementation of HRS’s RPM solutions has contributed to improved patient education and engagement, fostering a better overall patient experience. While specific data points on reductions in emergency visits and readmissions aren’t provided here, the program’s structure and focus on proactive monitoring suggest a positive impact in these areas.metrics highlight the program’s efficiency and effectiveness in managing patient care. Additionally, the program has led to better patient education and engagement, enhancing the overall patient experience and reducing the need for emergency visits and readmissions.