Medically Home, which provides health systems with technology to care for patients in a home setting, announced this week that its latest funding round had brought in $110 million in investments.  

Contributing organizations include Baxter International and Global Medical Response. Cardinal Health, Mayo Clinic and Kaiser Permanente are also providing funding in addition to their previous investments.  

"The addition of these strategic national partners powerfully strengthens our logistics capability, which our health system providers need to safely and reliably care for patients in their homes," Rami Karjian, CEO of Medically Home, said in a statement.  

WHY IT MATTERS

According to the organizations, Medically Home's platform and ecosystem enables acute care for patients outside of conventional brick-and-mortar settings.  

The vendor's hospital-at-home tools connect patients with caregivers using remote-monitoring technology, clinical protocols and reimbursement models, paired with in-person services as needed.

More than 7,000 patients have been treated using the platform across the country, said the company. 

"With the growing number of people who are aging over 65, we need to create and implement programs that will address the needs of this population at scale," Stephen Parodi, executive vice president of The Permanente Federation at Kaiser Permanente, said in a statement.  

"Over the next decade, up to a third of the patients who are currently hospitalized in brick-and-mortar hospitals could be cared for at home. Kaiser Permanente believes that providing this type of care is a way to improve access to safe acute and restorative care for an older population and for other patients with serious or complex illnesses," Parodi continued.  

THE LARGER TREND  

Kaiser and Mayo have been supporters of the acute-care-at-home model amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with both health systems putting a combined $100 million toward Medically Home in May 2021.  

Later that year, the three organizations launched the Advanced Care at Home Coalition, aimed at working with Congress to ensure continuity of care beyond the public health emergency.  

However, not everyone has been pleased: Nurse unions criticized the strategy, saying it undermined their role and potentially endangered patients.  

"The Kaiser Permanente Advanced Care at Home is an innovative person-centered program rooted in quality, safety and patient satisfaction. Patients enrolled in the program must meet established clinical and safety criteria," said Kaiser representatives in response to the accusations.  

ON THE RECORD  

"The partnership with Medically Home advances Mayo Clinic mission and values that are optimized for the digital age," Maneesh Goyal, COO of the Mayo Clinic Platform, said in a statement.  

"The new round of investment affirms the power of partnerships with like-minded organizations and will help more people have the choice to experience this unique model of care in the comfort of their homes," said Goyal.

Kat Jercich is senior editor of Healthcare IT News.
Twitter: @kjercich
Email: kjercich@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.