Lee Health Brings Home High-Quality Hospital Care

Hospital at Home patients can use the program’s iPads to share data in real-time with their care team, ask questions about their medication, or talk to their doctor. 

In a groundbreaking approach to patient care, Lee Health is bringing hospital-level treatment directly into patients' homes.

The innovative Hospital at Home program offers a revolutionary alternative to traditional hospital stays for patients with specific medical conditions—patients like Wendy Markman.

Wendy, the first patient in Lee Health's Hospital at Home program, experienced the benefits firsthand. A week before Thanksgiving Day, the 69-year-old Fort Myers resident was taken to the emergency department at Gulf Coast Medical Center with a fever of 103.7 and dangerously low oxygen levels.

Her condition, later diagnosed as pneumonia, required hospitalization. 

“After I was stabilized in the ER, I was told I qualified for a new program that would let me receive hospital-level care in my home instead of staying at the hospital,” she says. “I thought, I’d rather sleep at home. My husband doesn’t drive, either, so it would be difficult for him to visit me at the hospital if I stayed for a few days. Plus, the idea that he’d be with me at all times was comforting.”

After Wendy was “admitted” to Gulf Coast Medical Center, she was taken by ambulance to her residence. Lee Health Hospital at Home nurses, who followed behind, set up Wendy’s hospital care in the comfort of familiar surroundings: her own home.

The Promise of Lee Health’s Hospital at Home Program 

The Hospital at Home program allows patients with conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure, pneumonia, cellulitis, and urinary tract infections to receive comprehensive medical care in the comfort of their own homes.

“We’re really excited about providing this new program for our patients in Lee County,” says Larry Antonucci, MD, MBA, President & CEO of Lee Health. “This is an opportunity to take care of patients with lower acuity illnesses in the comfort of their own homes—where we know they tend to heal better.

"The evidence also tells us that readmission rates are lower for patients who had Hospital at Home care, which is such an important finding because it shows patients stay healthier, and it lowers treatment costs.”

How it works

The program is more than just simply providing quality hospital care at home. It ensures patient safety in between clinical in-person visits by enabling providers to continuously monitor them. 

"What the Hospital at Home program looks like for patients is very similar to what they would experience at one of our hospitals,” says Iahn Gonsenhauser, MD, MBA, Lee Health’s Chief Medical Officer. “They’re going to experience the same admission process as they would for admission to the hospital. They’ll be seen by a clinician, who will determine whether an inpatient level of care is necessary. And at that point, potentially choosing if home-based hospital care will be an option for them.” 

He adds, “Home-based hospital care is an incredible way of delivering the same high-quality care that patients would get in a hospital setting but in the comfort and convenience of their own home.”

Technology at the forefront

The Hospital at Home program involves advanced technology, which is critical to its success. Eligible patients who participate in the program receive the following products and services that ensure real-time data transmission and that emergency response protocols are in place:

• An iPad for communication with clinical staff
• Easy-to-use wearable devices for continuous transmission (biometric monitoring) of vital signs
• 24/7 monitoring through a dedicated command center
• Blood pressure monitoring, thermometers, and pulse oximeters
• Twice-daily in-person visits from clinical staff
• Daily virtual visits from physician
• Continuous virtual check-ins and video consultations
• Medications, imaging and lab tests at home

Jennifer Higgins, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, Lee Health’s Chief Nursing Officer, says technology is the backbone of keeping a patient’s healthcare team in constant communication with them.

"We can see their heart rate, understand their vital signs, their weight, and communicate with them,” she says. “It’s vital they have access to our nurses all the time, 24-7."

In her experience as a former bedside nurse, Jennifer says she’s familiar with inpatient concerns about hospital stays. “Some patients, understandably, have issues with not being in their own bed, that maybe the hospital is too loud, that they miss having their family or pets around them. Having those things appeals to some people, and that’s where the Hospital at Home program works for patients who qualify for it.” 

Proven benefits

The Hospital at Home program isn't just convenient—it's also effective, as in Wendy’s case. 

She was provided an iPad and monitoring devices that continuously tracked her vital signs. Nurses visited twice daily to administer IV antibiotics, draw her blood, administer medications, and check her progress. 

"The Hospital at Home nurses were so professional and caring," Wendy notes. "They were so professional, thoughtful, and kind.”

One memorable moment came on the second night of her Hospital at Home stay. Wendy, anxious to leave her bed and stretch her legs, attempted to walk around the house at 2 a.m. The monitoring system immediately alerted nurses about her oxygen levels, which had dropped. 

"They called immediately and told me to get back in bed. And don’t do that again,” she adds with a laugh, highlighting their attentive care.

Clinical evidence suggests HaH programs help patients experience:

• 70 percent reduction in readmission rates
• Improved sleep quality
• Reduced stress and anxiety
• Increased ability to ambulate (move) around at home than in the hospital

Dr. Antonucci notes another critical advantage of the Hospital at Home program is that it should free up beds for patients with more severe conditions by reducing admissions to the brick-and-mortar hospital for lower-acuity patients.

The program can help reduce overcrowding and ensure Lee Health hospitals can accommodate patients who require more acute care. Also, the reduced demand for hospital beds may lead to shorter wait times and improved patient care access.

As for Wendy, she credits the program with helping her recover more quickly than if she had stayed in a hospital room.

"My recovery was shorter because I was at home, and I could move around," she says. "The biggest thing was that I was able to get good sleep, which made a huge difference."

An approach focused on you

Lee Health’s Hospital at Home program is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Patient participation is entirely voluntary. The program includes a rigorous screening process to ensure patient safety and appropriate care.

"No one will be forced into this program," Dr. Gonsenhauser says. "It'll absolutely be a choice that an individual patient can make based on their level of comfort with the services we deliver."

WATCH HEALTH MATTERS: Lee Health Hospital at Home Program Experts: In their own words

The future of healthcare

For Lee Health, its Hospital at Home program is more than a temporary innovation, Dr. Antonucci notes.

"I think we're definitely going to see more care like this, care closer to home and care in the home as the technology continues to advance,” he says. “I think there are technologies that are out there that we haven’t even imagined yet. If you think about where we were five years ago, you can only imagine where we're going to be five years from now.

“And Lee Health intends to be at the forefront of that.”

Wendy’s experience with the Hospital at Home program demonstrates that Lee Health is not just treating patients—they're reimagining what healthcare can look like, prioritizing patient comfort, technological innovation, and personalized medical treatment.

WATCH: Lee Health’s Hospital at Home program: Hospital-level care in the comfort of your own home