PHILADELPHIA—BAYADA Home Health Care, a nonprofit home health care provider, announced the launch of its new home intensive care unit (HICU) program for infants and children with high-acuity medical needs. Following a pilot of this care delivery model, BAYADA’s HICU services are now available in three states—Delaware, New York and Pennsylvania—with growing interests to expand nationwide.
Working in close collaboration with one of the nation’s top-ranked pediatric hospitals, BAYADA said it created its HICU program to support safe, timely and successful care transitions from neonatal and pediatric ICUs to the comfort of home. HICU serves infants and children with critical care needs, such as those born preterm or with a congenital anomaly who require ventilator or feeding tube support.
“BAYADA has been providing transitional care and private duty nursing services for high-acuity clients for decades,” said Cris Toscano, BAYADA practice president of skilled nursing. “HICU is our new care delivery model designed for infants and children ready to come home from the NICU or PICU (pediatric intensive care unit). Think of it as intensive step-down care that brings children home safely, reduces family stress and promotes their best outcomes for long-term health and well-being.”
“HICU is a lifeline for families, bridging the critical gap between hospitalization and homecare,” said Toscano. “We’re setting a new standard for high-acuity care by moving beyond fragmented support to a coordinated, family-centered system that anticipates needs, prevents avoidable readmissions and eases burdens for all stakeholders.”
With comprehensive HICU services, pediatric patients have benefited from lower risk of readmission, faster progress on developmental milestones and more opportunity for family bonding—supporting their physical and emotional growth. Family caregivers have become more satisfied, resilient, and confident with the training, respite and emotional support provided by their HICU team.
BAYADA said the HICU care delivery model is the first to offer 24/7 intensive pediatric home nursing services upon discharge.
Key elements of the model include:
- High-touch care coordination and training with hospital teams prior to discharge
- Delivery and setup of medical equipment and supplies
- Around-the-clock intensive nursing care starting with the first medical transport home
- Family education and reinforcement of care training
- Interdisciplinary rounds with providers and payers, anticipating changes in care plan
- Phased titration from 24/7 care to ongoing care and stability support
- 24/7 access to a dedicated clinical support team
BAYADA reported that the HICU has had successful outcomes to-date including:
- 78 children transitioned home safely
- 6,038 hospital days avoided
- 25% reduction in hospital readmission rate
- $250,000 average cost savings per patient per year
- 97.6% reliability rate
“We’ve always believed that children belong at home,” said David Baiada, BAYADA CEO. “With HICU, we’re proving that even critical care can be delivered effectively in the home setting, transforming what’s possible for children, families and health systems alike.”