In response to Taiwan becoming a super-aged society, the National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) launched the Acute Care at Home Trial Project on July 1, 2024 to save older adults from the hassle of traveling to and from hospitals. With the implementation of this project, patients with pneumonia, urinary tract infection, or soft tissue infections who would have had to be hospitalized can now be treated at home or in care institutions by medical teams composed of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and respiratory therapists. In this way, patients can receive treatments in a familiar place while the medical teams provide comprehensive healthcare services at their homes.
In addition to Acute Care at Home, more and more patients with terminal illnesses wish to have a "good death" at home. To ensure a smooth transition to Home Hospice Care, the NHIA and Taichung Veterans General Hospital organized the Acute Care at Home and Home Hospice Care Creative Observation Exchange Conference on November 24. Medical facilities, home care centers, and long-term care facilities in central Taiwan, as well as the health bureaus of Taichung City, Changhua County, and Nantou County all participated in the conference.
To improve the operational efficiency for all the hospitals, representatives from 10 hospitals with practical care experiences, including Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Changhua Christian Hospital, and Nantou Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, were invited to share their innovative care model and relevant experiences. Through these experience-sharing sessions, the organizers aim to ensure that all hospitals in the region are able to provide high quality healthcare services.
Acute Care at Home is an alternative option to hospitalization. Medical teams will evaluate and determine whether a patient is eligible to receive care and treatments at home from such medical teams. In addition, patients with terminal illnesses can receive Home Hospice Care covered by the NHI program, allowing them to experience a "good death" with dignity in a familiar environment. The Home Hospice Care is meant to ensure aging in place and aging in peace.
Currently, there are 44 medical teams from 256 medical facilities in Taichung City, Changhua County, and Nantou County offering Acute Care at Home in the region. Of all the 256 medical facilities providing Acute Care at Home, 44 are hospitals, 108 are clinics, 3 are pharmacies, and 101 are home care centers and home respiratory therapy centers; these medical teams are serving approximately 180 patients. As for Home Hospice Care, a total of 98 medical facilities provides such services, including 18 hospitals, 26 local Western medicine clinics, and 54 home care centers. On average, these medical facilities can provide services to approximately 4000 patients a year.