Columbia, Maryland-based hospital system MedStar Health announced it partnered with in-home care provider DispatchHealth to bring acute care services to patients recently discharged from Medstar facilities in Washington D.C. 

The partnership will focus on avoiding readmissions and visits, which typically occur 72 hours after discharge. 

Denver-based DispatchHealth offers in-home urgent care medical visits with telehealth and in-person options. In-person visits can be scheduled in as little as two hours. 

MedStar Health will connect patients with DispatchHealth based on clinical needs and geographic information before they are discharged. Medical treatments provided by DispatchHealth include labs, EKGs and IV fluids and medications. 

"I've worked in the emergency department at MedStar Washington Hospital Center for 19 years and know that when a patient goes home, they sometimes need another touchpoint. This at-home acute care service is preventing hospital returns by providing care that can be managed in a patient's own home, such as medication management. This partnership is supporting greater care coordination in underserved areas, including Wards 7 and 8," Ethan Booker, chief medical officer for telehealth at MedStar Health, said in a statement. 

THE LARGER TREND

MedStar Health partnered with startup Babyscripts in 2018 to provide expecting mothers with wireless weight scales and blood pressure cuffs for at-home monitoring. The pilot program was utilized at MedStar Washington Hospital Center and included a 60-patient rollout.

In September, MedStar Health opened a new urgent care facility in Ballston, Virginia, which offers telehealth consultations for specialties, including cardiology, orthopedics and pediatrics. 

DispatchHealth closed $135.8 million in a Series C funding round in 2020. The digital health company used the funds to increase its reach into new markets. The investment was led by Optum Ventures with participation from Alta Partners, Questa Capital, Humana and Epic Health Ventures. 

In 2021, the Colorado-based company secured a $200 million Series D funding round that brought the company’s valuation to $1.7 billion. Tiger Global led the round with participation from Alta Partners, Echo Health Ventures, Humana, Oak HC/FT and Questa Capital. The company planned to use the funds to expand into more markets, with a goal of reaching 100 new markets. 

Georgia-based Emory Health and DispatchHealth partnered in 2023 to provide patients with at-home and follow-up care. The health system would use DispatchHealth’s AcuteCare and Bridge Care platforms for follow-up visits after discharge. 

Last July, DispatchHealth and home-based cancer care platform Reimagine Care teamed up for home-based oncology care. The partnership would provide at-home care coordination without the need for inpatient oncology visits. 

Grocery delivery company Instacart partnered with DispatchHealth in January to prescribe food interventions for patients that use the grocery delivery service’s Instacart Health.