Huntsman At Home Cancer Program Integrated Team-Based Leadership
Launched in 2018, Huntsman at Home in Utah was one of the first programs in the United States to provide acute cancer care at home.
Service Provided
The service combines Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) research and clinical expertise for in-person care, remote patient and caregiver support, and acute-level clinical care provided by nurse practitioners.
Huntsman at Home has a variety of home-based services that range from symptom management to acute medical, post-surgical, palliative, and end-of-life care.
Team-Based
The Huntsman at Home team is led by HCI nurse practitioners working in conjunction with HCI oncologists and is operated in partnership with Community Nursing Services, a home health and hospice agency that provides the program with registered nurses, social workers, and physical therapists.
Results
A study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology reports findings on Huntsman at Home, a cancer hospital-at-home model operated by Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah. The study analyzed aspects of Huntsman at Home acute care—meaning a level of care that is generally provided in an inpatient hospital setting.
In the 30 days after study entry, Huntsman at Home participants had:
- 55% fewer hospitalizations;
- 45% fewer emergency department visits, and shorter hospital stays by one day; and
- 47% lower health care costs during the same 30-day period as compared with patients who did not participate in Huntsman at Home.
The results were presented at the ASCO20 Virtual Scientific Program, and showed evidence of reductions in hospitalization, ED visits and cost with Huntsman at Home vs. usual care.
Lisa Remington is president and publisher of the Remington Report magazine and President of Remington’s Home Care Leadership Think Tank. She has worked with more than 10,000 organizations in both a consultancy role and an educator. Lisa monitors the complex key trends and forces of change to develop a correct strategic approach to de-risk decision-making and create sustainable futures across the healthcare continuum.
