Why hospital beds are overrated: shifting care to home

Before we dive into solutions, it’s worth acknowledging just how much healthcare is changing.

Patients now expect healthcare to match the convenience, coordination and accessibility they enjoy elsewhere in their lives. Integrated, seamless care where and when a patient needs it isn’t just a nice-to-have – it’s quickly becoming the new standard of care. Meanwhile, hospital administrators are working hard to optimize throughput and deliver quality patient outcomes. Any operational drag impacts key measures like Diagnosis-Related Group (DRG) profitability, Inpatient Length of Stay (LOS), ED Wait Times and Left Without Being Seen (LWBS) ratios.

Staffing issues are front and center, with clinician burnout now a major crisis across the industry. Care teams need innovative care models that support a diverse range of patients and integrates smoothly into existing clinical workflows, cutting down on administrative hassle and helping everyone work more efficiently.

To help solve these challenges, Philips offers Hospital to Home Monitoring – an integrated suite of monitoring technology and care services that lets health systems deliver post-acute and chronic care right in the patient’s home. It tackles pressing issues like capacity constraints and staff shortages, while aiming to deliver outcomes that matter – improved patient satisfaction, alleviated staff burden, improved patient throughput, and reduced readmissions through monitoring and appropriate escalation of risks as needed.

Here’s what sets Philips Hospital to Home Monitoring apart:

You need more than anecdotes – you’re looking for clear data that brings impact to life. Here’s how Philips Hospital to Home Monitoring delivers measurable value across a range of patient needs.

To address the capacity challenge health systems are facing, we have to think about reducing length of stay (LOS). When you’re able to discharge patients even just two days sooner, reducing average LOS and opening the bed and staff bandwidth to care for a new patient has significant impact on DRG profitability. Plus, reclaiming these bed-days lets organizations boost capacity and admit more patients, directly driving new revenue streams.

Emergency departments (EDs) are often hotspots for bottlenecks within health systems. In peak months, 5% of all patients admitted to the hospital waited more than 24 hours for a bed, and even in non-peak months 25% of ED patients waited 4+ hours. [1] As a result of overcrowding, the national average shows ~3% of patients left EDs without being seen [2], with systems under serious stress reaching 5-10% LWBS rates [3]. Identifying patients who would be eligible for comprehensive monitoring, such as those presenting with conditions like syncope, chest pain, or atrial fibrillation, and discharging them can meaningfully ease ED congestion while maintaining strong clinical oversight. The impact is ability to see more patients in the ED, reduce the LWBS rate and potentially tether the patient to receive follow-up care via the same health system due to establishing continued oversight with monitoring. The last point reduces the chances they’ll seek services elsewhere.

Monitoring patients at home for one to three months after discharge has been shown to significantly reduce readmission rates.

Cutting readmission rates pays off right away by boosting DRG profitability. Plus, when you roll out Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM), you not only improve patient outcomes but also unlock new revenue through reimbursable billing codes. That creates financial gains while supporting your clinical goals.

When it comes to chronic conditions like COPD or diabetes, ongoing remote monitoring – over six months or more – gives patients better tools for self-management and helps drive lasting health improvements. Real-world data shows that Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) can sharply cut readmission rates, supporting both patient well-being and your organization’s financial objectives. [4]

One thing that truly sets Philips Hospital to Home Monitoring apart is how it’s built for real-world clinical workflows – not against them. Instead of adding layers of complexity which can cause adoption challenges and pushback, the platform fits right into existing EMR systems and genuinely supports clinician efficiency and engagement. Device data goes straight to the platform, so clinicians get instant access to what they need, right in their usual workflow.

Clinical teams only get notified when patient readings cross set thresholds, making alerts more focused and path to intervention efficient. Dedicated technical support simplifies patient onboarding, so your skilled nursing staff can stay focused on clinical care – not troubleshooting devices. This lets clinicians spend their time where it matters most and reduces administrative overhead, helping care teams deliver the best possible patient outcomes.

Moving care delivery into the home isn’t just a trend – it’s a strategic necessity for health systems that want to stay ahead. Making this shift helps address capacity constraints, protect financial performance, and deliver the kind of patient-centered care today’s consumers expect.

As health systems expand beyond the hospital into new and unconventional care settings, they need a partner with both the clinical credibility and the technological foundation to support that transformation. Philips brings a unique combination of deep expertise in the hospital environment and a strong legacy in patient monitoring – creating a connected ecosystem that extends seamlessly into the home.

Health systems increasingly turn to Philips as their innovation partner of choice – working together, we deliver care that not only improves clinical outcomes but also drives meaningful financial value.

By embracing new models that extend care to the home, health system leaders can tackle today’s capacity challenges while building a more sustainable, resilient future for care delivery.