Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Hi it’s Patrik Hutzel from INTENSIVE CARE AT HOME where we provide tailor made solutions for long-term ventilated Adults & Children with Tracheostomies by improving their Quality of life and where we also provide tailor made solutions to hospitals and Intensive Care Units to save money and resources, whilst providing Quality Care!
In the last blog I talked about
How to look beyond intensive care and create new pathways!
You can check out last week’s blog here.
In this week’s blog I want to answer a question that we get quite frequently
Do Patients in ICU have the right to be treated at home?
Let’s dive right into it.
A big part of the work we do at INTENSIVE CARE AT HOME is clinical advocacy.
Our core service delivery is to provide 24/7 ICU/PICU nurses at home for mainly long-term ventilated Patients (adults & children) with tracheostomies and for otherwise medically complex long-term ICU Patients (adults & children).
From that perspective we often advocate on our clients behalf when they first contact us and enquire about our service when they have a family member stuck in ICU/PICU on a long-term basis.
We advocate on our clients behalf to health funding authorities, to hospitals, to ICU’s/PICU’s etc…
Funding streams to continue care and treatment at home for long-term ventilated and otherwise medically complex Patients (adults & children) in intensive care are there but they are often hidden and we know how to access them and how to advocate for them.
Going back in time, in the late 1990’s and in the early 2000’s Germany was the first country to embrace the concept of INTENSIVE CARE AT HOME for long-term ventilated Patients (adults & children) with tracheostomies and for otherwise medically complex long-term ICU Patients (adults & children).
INTENSIVE CARE AT HOME in Germany was a natural evolution from immensely successful hospital in the home concepts developed in the 1970’s and 1980’s and the next natural progression was to develop services that could take care of long-term ICU/PICU Patients on life support mainly with ventilation and tracheostomy.
Therefore the right for Patients to have treatment at home instead of in a hospital or in ICU whenever possible and clinically safe was legislated and became a right for patients and their families.
Australia and other English speaking countries are not quite there yet and are lacking behind in that Patients and families have the right to “demand” intensive care at home whenever it’s clinically appropriate and safe.
Related article/video:
IS IT APPROPRIATE TO DISCHARGE VENTILATED PATIENTS FROM ICU/PICU TO HOME?
However, our growing client base and our increased number of enquiries are telling us that the demand in this area is ever growing and that more and more long-term ICU/PICU Patients and their families in intensive care are looking for the better intensive home care alternative that provides a win-win situation for all stakeholders by
- improving quality of life/quality of end of life for Patients and their families at home
- to continue ventilation/tracheostomy weaning at home
- have mechanical ventilation and tracheostomy for the rest of their lives if it aligns with a Patient’s wishes and advanced care plan
- cut the cost of a $5,000- $6,000 per bed day ICU/PICU bed by 50%
- free up “in-demand” ICU/PICU beds that can be used for other more critically ill Patients
- reduce wait times for Patients in emergency departments/emergency rooms in need of ICU/PICU beds
- cut surgical and medical waiting lists for Patients needing ICU/PICU beds
In fact INTENSIVE CARE AT HOME is a “no-brainer” because it helps all stakeholders to create a “win-win” situation to achieve their goals.
It helps Patients and families to continue intensive care specific treatment such as mechanical ventilation and/or tracheostomy at home that requires the skills and expertise of ICU/PICU nurses.
This skill level and expertise that we bring into our clients’ home 24/7 improves the quality of life for Patients and their families and it frees up “in-demand” ICU/PICU beds that cost $5,000- $6,000 per bed day by providing intensive care substitution services in the home.
Because INTENSIVE CARE AT HOME creates a “win-win” situation for all stakeholders it should be a right.
Kind Regards
Patrik Hutzel
If you want to find out how we can help you to get your loved one out of Intensive Care including palliative care or Long-term acute care (also nursing home) or if you find that you have insufficient support for your loved one at home on a ventilator, if you want to know how to get funding for our service or if you have any questions please send me an email to [email protected] or call on one of the numbers below.
Australia/New Zealand +61 41 094 2230
USA/Canada +1 415-915-0090
UK/Ireland +44 118 324 3018
Also, check out our careers section here
www.intensivecareathome.com/careers
We are currently hiring ICU/PICU nurses for clients in the Melbourne metropolitan area, northern suburbs, Mornington Peninsula and in South Gippsland/Victoria.
We are an NDIS, TAC (Victoria) and DVA (Department of Veteran affairs) approved community service provider in Australia.
Also, have a look at our range of full service provisions here
https://intensivecareathome.com/services
We have also been part of the Royal Melbourne health accelerator program for innovative health care companies last year!
https://www.thermh.org.au/news/innovation-funding-announced-melbourne-health-accelerator
Thank you for tuning into this week’s blog.
This is Patrik Hutzel from INTENSIVE CARE AT HOME and I see you again next week in another update!