Following Pilot, Ochsner to Expand Acute, Transitional Home Care Services
New Orleans-based Ochsner Health says it has successfully piloted a new program designed to deliver acute and transitional care services in the home to avoid low-acuity admissions from the emergency department (ED) and to help reduce readmissions.
Ochsner Health, which has 46 hospitals and more than 370 health and urgent care centers in the Gulf South, launched the Acute Care at Home program at Ochsner Medical Center- New Orleans in March 2024 to enhance patient outcomes, streamline ED operational flow and observation unit throughput, shorten the length of stay, reduce unnecessary hospital utilization, and decrease readmissions.
The New Orleans-based hospital partnered with New York-based myLaurel, a home-based acute and transitional care company tailored to the needs of frail, elderly, and complex patients. In early results, the program has prevented either initial admission or 15-day readmissions for 92% of patients referred to the program from the emergency department and observation units.
Ochsner Health, through its investment arm, Ochsner Ventures, invested in myLaurel as part of its broader strategy to collaborate with innovative companies that address critical challenges for patients and care teams.
Ochsner and myLaurel say the pilot lays the groundwork for expansion to other Ochsner facilities, as part of a broader initiative to scale Acute Care at Home across the Ochsner system. Plans are underway to expand services to three additional Ochsner locations.
"Ochsner has a proven track record of fostering innovation and working with companies like myLaurel to deliver transformative healthcare solutions that improve outcomes, enhance patient experiences, and streamline care delivery," said Logan Davies, M.D., medical director of hospital access and throughput, Ochsner Medical Center- New Orlean, in a statement.
Providers can discharge eligible patients from the ED and observation units with myLaurel's at-home services, avoiding an observation stay or inpatient admission. This approach results in over 1,000 bed days saved and has the potential to allow for 200+ new admissions, the company said. Patients are seen the same or next day at home by a virtual physician leading an in-home care team, ensuring continuity of IV medications, managing point-of-care labs, treating symptoms, providing in-home education about treatment plans, and performing medication reconciliation.
Remote check-ins with a registered nurse are conducted for seven days, during which care plans are communicated with the Ochsner team and the patient's primary care physician to coordinate treatment and reduce care gaps. Monitoring patients in the home allows myLaurel to closely track symptoms, even those unrelated to their ED visit, effectively avoiding unnecessary hospital utilization, the company said.
MyLaurel also has developed partnerships with healthcare service providers ilumed, an ACO REACH program, and ArchCare, a PACE program.
In a separate announcement, Ochsner Accountable Care Network LLC (OACN) noted that it had achieved its eighth consecutive year of top-ranking results in both clinical performance and healthcare savings for the Medicare population in its care. OACN is Louisiana’s largest physician-led ACO serving the Medicare population.
A CMS report shows that OACN’s participating physicians and advanced practice providers lowered the expected cost of care by $30.9 million for the more than 58,000 Medicare beneficiaries in its care in 2023. Over the last eight years, OACN has improved the health outcomes for its beneficiaries and reduced healthcare spending by more than $160 million.
“Ochsner’s physician-led accountable care organization is improving health outcomes while reducing costs,” said Robert Hart, M.D., chairman of the board for Ochsner Accountable Care Network, in a statement. “Through improved efficiencies, care coordination and patient experience, the OACN team is continually delivering high-quality care and financial efficiency for our patients and our organization.”
