“In the hospital, patients are often woken up throughout the night for a variety of reasons, so recovering at home can be a great and less stressful alternative,” said Dr. Jonathan Kelly, medical director of the Home Hospital Program, shown here with Annmarie Short, RN, the program’s nurse manager, and Emil Pross, the program’s 1,000th patient.
When 87-year-old Emil Pross was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection in the Emergency Department at NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island, the last thing he wanted to do was spend a week in the hospital getting intravenous (IV) antibiotics. But after a thorough check, the Home Hospital Program gave the retired information technologist the greatest news he could get by allowing him to be treated at home while being remotely monitored around the clock.
“I had terrific care with a private nurse who checked on me twice a day, and knew that a doctor was just a phone call away,” said Pross, who received IV infusions through an infusion pump three times a day and whose vital signs were constantly being monitored. “I was amazed by the technology and couldn’t get any better care than what I received.”
The Bethpage resident became the program’s 1,000th patient when he was discharged from home a week later, marking a major milestone for an initiative that allows patients who are diagnosed with certain conditions to recover in the comfort of their own homes. Since first being established in 2022, the highly successful program has reported no cases of hospital-acquired infections or delirium in patients, who’ve ranged in age from 21 to 102.
“This is a truly empowering program that is one of the first of its kind. It gives patients in our local communities who qualify the option of recovering at home while helping to keep beds available for patients with more acute conditions that require hospitalization,” said Joseph J. Greco, MD, executive vice president and chief of hospital operations at NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island.
“In the hospital, patients are often woken up throughout the night for a variety of reasons, so recovering at home can be a great and less stressful alternative,” said Jonathan Kelly, DO, medical director of the Home Hospital Program. “In addition to providing 24/7 remote monitoring, our doctors can even provide in-person house calls if necessary.”
The retiree, who still drives, jumped back into his usual outdoor routine after being discharged from his own living room, but said spending a week inside his apartment was a lot better than spending a week in the hospital.
“We were very excited to celebrate our 1,000th patient, and Mr. Pross was the ideal patient to be transferred, based on his diagnosis. He was more than willing to receive care from our doctors and nurses at home instead of being in a brick-and-mortar hospital,” said Annmarie Short, RN, nurse manager of the program.
Media Inquiries
Rosemary Gomez
Phone: 516-663-2709
Cell: 516-402-4260
Rosemary.Gomez@NYULangone.org
