Emory Healthcare, DispatchHealth partner for in-home care

Denver-based in-home care provider DispatchHealth announced it is partnering with Georgia-based healthcare system Emory Healthcare to provide patients in-home follow-up and high-acuity medical care. 

Through DispatchHealth, patients can request an in-home urgent care medical visit via telephone or the company’s app or website. A clinician is then scheduled to arrive at the patient’s home within two hours. Two medical professionals are sent to each home visit, either a physician assistant or nurse practitioner and a DispatchHealth medical technician.

Through the partnership, Emory will incorporate DispatchHealth’s Acute Care, Bridge Care and ED-to-Home programs to its offerings. 

With Dispatch’s Acute Care, patients with non-life threatening illnesses or injuries, such as viral infections, COPD exacerbations, congestive heart failure, and urinary infections, will have access to DispatchHealth’s medical team for in-home treatment. 

The Bridge Care program provides home care to patients at high risk of hospital readmission within 48 hours after being discharged from an acute care hospital stay. 

Through the ED-to-home program, patients needing a follow-up evaluation or care following a visit to the emergency room or being hospitalized can see a DispatchHealth provider in their home within 72 hours of discharge. 

“We are excited to join forces with DispatchHealth to bring new care models which provide more convenience for patients while leveraging established providers who can assist with this approach,” Will ElLaissi, director of innovation at Emory Healthcare, said in a statement. “We are committed to creating at-home care options for those living in and around Atlanta.”

THE LARGER TREND

In November, DispatchHealth raised $330 million in funding, bringing its total raise to over $700 million. The company scored $200 million in Series D financing a year prior. 

Dispatch Health has established numerous partnerships within the last year. 

In December, Blue Shield of California announced its members in Southern California would have access to home care through a collaboration with DispatchHealth, and Oklahoma’s Saint Francis Health System announced it would partner with the Denver-based provider to offer in-home care services in the Tulsa area.  

Marshfield Clinic Health System, a large rural health system, also announced a partnership with DispatchHealth to offer in-home acute care in Wisconsin. 

In May, DispatchHealth announced a partnership with California-based virtual care company Included Health, which provides healthcare benefits and insurance navigation services as well as virtual primary care, behavioral health, specialty care and 24/7 urgent care appointments. 

Through the partnership, the companies will supplement Included Health’s online care with DispatchHealth on-demand, in-home clinical support, treating common to complex injuries, diseases and illnesses.