<description>&lt;p&gt;At a time when health systems are under increasing pressure to improve care delivery models, UMass Memorial Health has reached a significant milestone in its Hospital-at-Home program, admitting its 3,000th patient. This initiative, spearheaded by Dr. Eric Alper, Senior Vice President, Chief Quality Officer, and Chief Clinical Informatics Officer at the health system, is proving [&amp;#8230;]&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Source: &lt;a href="https://healthsystemcio.com/2025/04/02/umass-memorial-reaches-hospital-at-home-milestone-alper-reflects-on-programs-keys-to-success/"&gt;UMass Memorial Reaches Hospital-at-Home Milestone; Alper Reflects on Program’s Keys to Success&lt;/a&gt; on &lt;a href="https://healthsystemcio.com"&gt;healthsystemcio.com - healthsystemCIO.com is the sole online-only publication dedicated to exclusively and comprehensively serving the information needs of healthcare CIOs.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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At a time when health systems are under increasing pressure to improve care delivery models, UMass Memorial Health has reached a significant milestone in its Hospital-at-Home program, admitting its 3,000th patient. This initiative, spearheaded by Dr.

At a time when health systems are under increasing pressure to improve care delivery models, UMass Memorial Health has reached a significant milestone in its Hospital-at-Home program, admitting its 3,000th patient. This initiative, spearheaded by Dr. Eric Alper, Senior Vice President, Chief Quality Officer, and Chief Clinical Informatics Officer at the health system, is proving to be an effective strategy in managing patient care while alleviating strain on traditional hospital resources. 
Transforming Acute Care Delivery Through Innovation 
The Hospital-at-Home program, launched in August 2021, emerged from a confluence of necessity and opportunity. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals were overwhelmed with patient volume, forcing health systems to explore alternative care delivery models. The initiative at UMass Memorial was initially driven by the need to reduce hospital exposure to infectious diseases while addressing chronic emergency department overcrowding. 
“We were at a point where our hospitals didn’t have enough space for the people that needed to be there,” Alper said. “By moving acute-level care into the home, we believed we could provide safe, effective treatment while reducing the burden on our facilities.” 
The program’s foundation rests on leveraging telehealth, remote monitoring, and in-home clinical services to provide hospital-level care for conditions such as pneumonia, heart failure, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). With federal waivers from CMS allowing reimbursement for at-home care, UMass Memorial was able to justify the investment and begin scaling the program. 
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“We started small, with just a few patients at a time,” Alper noted. “As we refined our approach, we grew our capacity, increasing staffing and infrastructure to support a larger census.” 
Beyond clinical and operational benefits, Alper emphasized that Hospital-at-Home models are reshaping how healthcare leaders think about inpatient care. “This is a shift in mindset,” he said. “Patients can receive high-quality care in their own homes with the right systems in place.” 
Leveraging Technology and IT Collaboration for Seamless Care 
UMass Memorial’s ability to successfully run its Hospital-at-Home program hinges on a robust technology infrastructure. Patients receive a suite of remote monitoring devices, a tablet for telehealth visits, and a connectivity hub capable of transmitting real-time data back to the health system’s Epic EMR. 
“We treat these patients as if they were admitted to any other inpatient unit in our system,” Alper explained. “We worked closely with Epic to develop a unit within our system that fully integrates these patients, ensuring seamless care coordination.” 
The IT-heavy nature of the program necessitates strong collaboration across clinical and technical teams. “Our CIO, CTO, and security officers are deeply involved in ensuring that network stability, data security, and interoperability are maintained,” Alper said. “This is not a plug-and-play model; it requires ongoing adaptation and support from IT professionals.” 
The program also benefits from relationships with key vendors. “We work with Current Health, a division of Best Buy Health, to provide much of the in-home technology,” Alper added. “Ensuring that devices remain operational and connected is critical to the success of the program.” 
Another critical aspect of the program is its adaptability. “Every patient has different needs,” Alper said. “The ability to adjust monitoring parameters, medication management, and telehealth engagements based on real-time data ensures we are providing personalized, responsive care.” 
Overcoming Challenges and Planning for Future Growth 
While the benefits of the program are evident—lower mortality rates, reduced readmission rates, and fewer hospital-acquired infections—scalability remains a challenge.

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UMass Memorial Reaches Hospital-at-Home Milestone; Alper Reflects on Program’s Keys to Success

UMass Memorial Reaches Hospital-at-Home Milestone; Alper Reflects on Program’s Keys to Success

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