Hospital to Home (H2H) Learning Destination at ACC11

As I spent some time in the ACC Exhibit Hall, I was very impressed by the Hospital to Home (H2H) Learning Destination exhibit. When you walk through this large exhibit, you get to experience what 3 different patients go through as each is admitted to the hospital and discharged home.

The H2H initiative includes the use of innovative health technologies such as health information technology solutions, home monitoring devices, and telehealth resources. You’ll find different patient profiles and you can follow each patient who undergoes treatment in the hospital for conditions ranging from acute MI, heart failure, or atrial fibrillation. These patients may require medical alert services or home telehealth monitoring such as remote cardiac monitoring and cableless monitoring of NBP SpO2. Others may be using home oxygen or a sleep apnea monitoring device. Advances in medical technology now allow patients to easily access their personal health records online when they’re at home so they can communicate with their providers. Some of the sponsors of the H2H Learning Destination here at ACC11 include: Philips, St. Jude Medical, CHF Solutions, Health Outcomes Science, and Microsoft.

Ultimately, improvements in discharge planning and transitions in care will lead to fewer rehospitalizations among patients with serious heart conditions. Medical centers that use the H2H program are aiming to reduce readmissions within 30 days of hospital discharge by educating patients about the importance of drug therapy adherence.

The Hospital to Home (H2H) is a national campaign to reduce readmissions for patients recently hospitalized with a cardiovascular condition, the leading cause of hospitalization in the United States. The American College of Cardiology and the Institute of Healthcare Improvement, organizations with a successful record of improving care, are combining forces and developing partnerships to form a campaign to improve the transition of patients from inpatient to outpatient status. About one in five patients hospitalized with cardiovascular conditions are readmitted within 30 days and studies suggest that many of these readmissions can be prevented.