University Medical Center New Orleans (UMC), a part of LCMC Health in the US, has collaborated with myLaurel to provide high-acuity home-based care.

This collaboration seeks to offer frail and elderly patients or those with complex medical requirements the opportunity to recuperate at home for the initial 15 to 30 days following an acute hospital admission, with support from a clinical team from myLaurel.

This model minimises the necessity for prolonged inpatient hospital stays when clinically appropriate, enabling eligible patients from the emergency department and observation units to transition to home-based care.

The programme aims to ease hospital capacity pressures, optimise patient flow, and provide care in a setting that may enhance comfort and outcomes.

UMC chief medical officer Dr Jeff Elder said: “Our partnership with myLaurel is an important step in our commitment to our communities and our continuous efforts to improve the patient experience.

“myLaurel has had impressive results with other similar health systems, so we believe more of our patients will be able to fully recover at home rather than returning to the hospital.”

UMC has become the first facility in Louisiana to adopt this care model. The hospital plays a crucial role as a safety net for vulnerable communities in New Orleans.

This new service is in line with ongoing efforts to promote equitable healthcare by offering an at-home alternative that aids patient recovery while also enhancing hospital capacity.

myLaurel president and chief medical officer Dr Marcy Carty said: “In-home care is beneficial not only to the patient but to the entire community.

“Patients are proven to have better outcomes when they recover at home, and that creates space within the hospital for the next person who truly needs that level of acute care.”