Advertisement
Voices
Ankit Mehta and Chrisanne Timpe

Op-comic: Healthcare that keeps patients out of the hospital while saving money? Fund it

By Ankit Mehta and Chrisanne Timpe

See more from the L.A. Times in Google Search. Set us as preferred

U.S. healthcare systems struggle to meet the needs of an aging population.
The hospital-at-home model expands access to acute care for patients needing hospitalization.
A waiver offers reimbursement for this care of patients with Medicare and Medicaid.
Advertisement
The waiver is set to expire on Dec. 31, threatening the sustainability of this option across the country.
Evidence from the pandemic shows that hospital-at-home is good for vulnerable patients.
While hospitalization is sometimes necessary, there is also an increased risk of complications like infection and weakness.
Hospital-at-home patients are visited by their care team and a physician every day, giving insight into the patient's life.
We cannot afford to lose momentum in the recent accelerated growth of this model. This critical juncture demands action.
Healthcare initiatives that improve outcomes at reduced cost are worth nurturing. We need long-term support for this model.
Advertisement

Ankit Mehta is an associate professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota Medical School and a hospitalist with the HealthPartners Medical Group. He is an illustrator and graphic medicine enthusiast.

Chrisanne Timpe is a hospitalist and medical director of home-based care delivery programs for HealthPartners in Minnesota, including hospital-at-home care.

More to Read

Opinion VoicesContributors

A cure for the common opinion

Get thought-provoking perspectives with our weekly newsletter.

By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Service, which include arbitration and a class action waiver. You agree that we and our third-party vendors may collect and use your information, including through cookies, pixels and similar technologies, for the purposes set forth in our Privacy Policy such as personalizing your experience and ads.

More From the Los Angeles Times

Podcasts

  • Podcast logo for Rebuilding LA

    Update: Rebuilding Is Underway On West Poppyfields Drive

    In this episode, we bring you the update on how an Altadena resident and her neighborhood are coming along, plus a re-run of the two-part series we did on the Poppyfields people back in June.

  • Boiling Point S2

    Can Offshore Wind Survive the Trump Administration?

    California once bet big on offshore wind to help power its clean-energy future, but the Trump administration is now paying developers billions to walk away from their projects. As California’s remaining offshore-wind leases hang in the balance, the state is fighting back in court.

  • Crimes of the Times logo

    How A Hillside Strangler Nearly Went Free

    The Hillside Strangler murders terrorized Los Angeles in the late 1970s. The killers were a pair of sadistic cousins. One confessed. The other was set to stand trial—until L.A. prosecutors flinched.

Advertisement