The Role of Emergency Medicine in the Hospital-at-Home

Hospital-at-home is an evidence-based model for delivering care in patient homes in lieu of a traditional hospital admission. Recent policy changes and technological advancement have spurred growth in hospital-at-home programs across the United States. The role of emergency medicine in hospital-at-home programs has not been clearly defined. We argue that emergency medicine should contribute to the design, implementation, and leadership of these programs, as experts in management of acute illness and patient disposition. Further growth of hospital-at-home is likely to have important implications for the practice of emergency medicine, prompting adaptation and innovation. Finally, hospital-at-home offers a novel strategy to address emergency department boarding, although there is little evidence to suggest that these programs will meaningfully alleviate boarding in either the short term or long term.