Home Health Care vs Hospital Care

New choices in health care can make treatment more efficient, convenient, comfortable, and affordable. Thanks to technology, patients can often receive better treatment as an outpatient than they can as a hospital inpatient. Although these new options result from the natural evolution of health care, many questions remain about the appropriate venue for treatment. The following considerations will help patients weigh whether to pursue treatment in the hospital or try new outpatient options.

Cost

Insurers, health providers, and patients alike find outpatient care preferable because of cost considerations. Especially as provisions in the Affordable Care Act take hold, cost considerations will continue to play a significant role in healthcare decisions. The operation of a hospital involves incredible overhead as providers must cover the costs of uninsured patients, emergency rooms, and the latest diagnostic equipment. Patients with conditions that do not require the continuous monitoring and proximity to emergency care of a hospital will almost always choose home health care, because of the savings in cost.

Convenience

Although many Americans live in urban or suburban areas, many still live in rural areas where they must travel long distances to get health care. After a diagnosis, home health care offers convenience that saves patients many miles and hours of travel for follow-up care. Home health care providers can perform routine checkups at patient’s homes, eliminating the need for long commutes.

Additionally, health care providers can monitor their patients through secure Internet connections that allow their servers to download data recorded by home-based medical equipment. With the advent of wearable technology and personal area networks, patients can receive high-quality monitoring services while continuing a normal lifestyle.

Relationships

At hospitals, rotating shifts and advanced scheduling algorithms make the development of personalized care almost impossible. When treatment plans require periodic checkups, home health care providers can develop close relationships with patients, helping them to deliver a personalized level of care unavailable at hospitals. When providers know their patients, they can better discern new symptoms or issues that require attention.

Family Involvement

In the hospital setting, family members often feel either intimidated or unneeded, because of the continuous availability of doctors, nurses, and technicians. When patients do not require critical care, home health care options allow patients to stay home, allowing family members to become partners in their care.

Although sometimes stressful, the involvement of family members helps develop familial bonds that give everyone a sense of belonging, responsibility, and love. When relatives play active roles in the care of their loved ones, they can also reduce treatment costs by requiring fewer home visits from Phoenix Home Care.

Although many patients develop critical conditions that require the intensive care that comes with hospitalization, many patients with less-severe conditions can efficiently and quickly receive treatment at home. At a time when the cost and accessibility of health care influence the way people live, home healthcare provides important options that can help many people maintain a better quality of life than that which hospitals can provide.