Home Hospital

If you and your doctor decide Home Hospital is the right choice for you, your doctor will refer you to Home Hospital. Your doctor will only recommend Home Hospital to you if it is appropriate for your condition and needs.

Just like in the hospital, your team will consist of Mass General Brigham doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, paramedics, and physician’s assistants. You may also be visited by Mass General Brigham nurse practitioners and paramedics during your admission at home.  

Yes. We communicate with your doctors and value their input.

If you have been chosen for Home Hospital, you have been identified as someone for whom it will be very unlikely to have an emergency event. However, you are being monitored remotely 24 hours a day by a team of nurses, and help will be rushed to you. If you ever want or need to return to the hospital, our home hospital team will coordinate a safe transfer to the hospital for you.

How long you’ll be treated depends on your condition and needs. For most patients, it’s usually five to six days. When you’re ready to be discharged, your team will evaluate whether you need ongoing nurse visits, physical therapy, or other services. Your primary care physician will also be involved in this conversation.

Every adult patient with an eligible diagnosis has equitable access. Your doctor will recommend Home Hospital to you if it is appropriate for your condition and needs. Home Hospital is a geographically based service (click here to view a map of Home Hospital's service area). Eligible patients have to live in towns within a 30-minute drive time of a participating Mass General Brigham hospital.

There is no additional cost for home hospital care other than expenses you would normally have when hospitalized. We accept all patients regardless of insurance.

Mass General Brigham will handle the billing for your admission and bill your insurance (as appropriate). You will receive a bill if you have copays or receive services not covered by your insurance. In the unlikely event that you do receive a bill, please contact Patient Billing Solutions at 617-726-3884 Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Home Hospital is entirely voluntary. It will only be offered if your medical team believes it is a good option for you, and you can choose to be admitted to the traditional hospital if that makes you feel more comfortable.

During your Home Hospital admission, you’ll be seen at least twice daily in person in addition to your virtual visits with doctors and other caregivers. If you need any help between visits, you can contact the Home Hospital team 24/7, and they can arrange for urgent or unplanned visits. You are never out of touch.

We will provide you with instructions on how to reach your team if you have questions or concerns. In the case of an emergency, you should always call 911.

Transportation home varies case by case. In some cases, patients return home with whomever came with them to the hospital, but we may provide transportation, as well.  When you arrive home, your care team will be there to set you up with everything you need. They’ll talk with you about when follow-up visits will occur. The team will do their best to accommodate your schedule, but the timing of the visits depends on the timing of your medication and your clinical needs.

Admission to Home Hospital is the same as being admitted to the regular hospital. You should not be leaving your home while admitted unless it has been discussed in advance with your care team. This is important as the Home Hospital team would want to know where you are and be able to get to you quickly in the unlikely event of an emergency.

The Home Hospital team will decide with you whether your medical condition requires continuous monitoring of your vital signs. You may be given an oxygen saturation test or a blood pressure cuff that you put on and send your results to your monitoring team. If necessary, you’ll be given a device that monitors and sends your vitals continuously.

All patients are entitled to food services while hospitalized, and that includes Home Hospital patients. If needed, the Home Hospital team will provide meal delivery.

Beloved pets can be a wonderful thing for people who are recovering. However, pets are required to be secured in another room when your Home Hospital care team is at your house.