The vision
UW Health, a large academic medical center in Wisconsin, needed to expand inpatient capacity without investing in new facilities. The organization had built a high-performing hospital at home program that delivered strong outcomes, but it operated at only three to four patients daily. Leaders sought new ways to improve capacity and unlock greater financial value from the program.
Co-creating the solution
As part of broader financial improvements, UW Health partnered with Chartis to scale home-based hospital care as high-quality lower-cost capacity initiative. The root barrier to realizing full value was a staffing paradox: Leadership was reluctant to approve new staff until census proved demand, but census couldn’t rise without staff.
Chartis helped UW Health develop a cost-avoidance business case that justified investing in 13.5 clinical and support staff before projected growth could be realized. The team redesigned the care model to strengthen Emergency Department (ED) referrals and expand existing referral pathways.
Believe in better
UW Health now has a scalable hospital at home operation that relieves inpatient capacity pressure, enhances outcomes, and improves patient satisfaction. Daily care huddles, expanded admission hours, and new referral pathways continue to drive occupancy. By reaching a sustainable scale, the health system has positioned hospital at home to create capacity while delivering care at a lower cost per patient day than comparable in-facility settings.
