Site Editors
Shaji K. Kumar, MD
Prashant Kapoor, MD, FACP
Shaji K. Kumar, MD
Prashant Kapoor, MD, FACP
Posted: Monday, November 6, 2023
Based on the successful results of a case-control study involving patients with multiple myeloma who were previously admitted for elective chemotherapy and for an acute general medical condition, Hospitalization at Home “should be expanded to other groups of specialized patients, leveraging disease-specific clinical pathways,” concluded a team of New York City researchers presenting their findings at the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Quality Care Symposium (Abstract 58). Those patients who were eligible for the at-home program had a shorter median inpatient length of stay compared with those not eligible for the at-home program (6.5 days vs. 17.5 days; P < .001), according to Melanie Wain Kier, MD, MBA, of Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai, New York, and colleagues.
Also, the “mean length of Hospitalization at Home stay was 8.83 days, which saved our health system 212 inpatient-bed days,” noted the team. The primary endpoint was 30-day readmission from final place of discharge, and this was similar between the groups (P = .97).
All patients in both groups had received inpatient chemotherapy with dexamethasone, cyclophosphamide, etoposide, and cisplatin with or without bortezomib ([V]-DCEP). ZIP code, correlating to the program’s catchment zone, determined their eligibility for continuing with Hospitalization at Home (n = 22 [with 24 episodes of care]) or ineligibility (n = 32 [with 32 episodes of care]; control group). Hospitalization at Home placement occurred between September 2020 and May 2023.
In the Hospitalization at Home–eligible and –noneligible groups, median patient ages were 57 and 67.5 years, respectively; 73% and 63% were male; 23% and 56% were White; 41% and 13% were Black; 14% and 6% were Asian; 18% and 19% were Hispanic; and 55% and 32% had either Medicaid or were dual Medicare/Medicaid-eligible.
“The Hospitalization at Home program demonstrated safety and feasibility in caring for oncology patients admitted for elective chemotherapy,” concluded Dr. Kier and co-investigators. “No significant adverse outcomes or issues related to the care delivery or social support [were reported].”
Disclosure: Dr. Kier reported no conflicts of interest. For full disclosures of the other study authors, visit coi.asco.org.
2023 ASCO Quality Care Symposium
JNCCN Spotlights
