In the media

AfroCentric Group celebrates four years of delivering improved patient outcomes and lower costs with its pioneering Hospital at Home

13 September 2024

AfroCentric Group’s (AfroCentric) innovative Hospital at Home service recently celebrated four years of delivering reduced hospitalisations, improved patient outcomes and lower costs for patients whose medical conditions would traditionally require hospital admission. The diversified healthcare Group was the first to provide the offering in Southern Africa.

Hospital at Home provides care for various types of acute conditions, including pneumonia, urinary tract infections, cellulitis, COVID-19, acute exacerbation heart failure, acute exacerbation COPD, dehydration, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and post-surgical care.

The service is available within a 70-kilometre radius of six metropoles in South Africa: Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, East London, Gqeberha and Johannesburg.

Launched at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in September 2020, the patient-centred Hospital at Home service uses technology and remote monitoring to provide the same level of care as a hospital setting. It is offered through AfroCentric’s medical administration business, Medscheme.

Medscheme’s patient-centred healthcare model uses technology, the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), predictive analytics, AI, and strategic partnerships to provide personalised care that is accessible and convenient for patients.

Commenting on the four-year milestone, Dr Abongile Qamata, Alternatives to Hospitalisation Lead at Medscheme | AfroCentric Group, said:

“We’re always looking for new and better ways to deliver health outcomes. We know that healthcare costs due to unnecessary admissions are high and negatively affect the health and wellness of our members, so adopting this innovative approach to care for members in the comfort of their own homes made complete sense.”

Developed in partnership with digital health company Quro Medical, Hospital at Home is a technology-driven solution that uses health technology to analyse real-time data to monitor patient health.

Hospital at Home brings all the essential elements of in-hospital care to the patient in their home. The solution does not replace hospitalisation but offers many non-critical patients a safe and effective solution.

“While an essential aim of Hospital at Home is to deliver world-class healthcare at a significantly lower cost, the care model provides several other benefits, too. For patients, this can mean avoiding hospital-acquired infections, maintaining physical mobility and reducing psychological stress,” explains Dr Qamata.

The programme has experienced an approximately 200 – 400% increase in utilisation year-on-year since its inception. The past 18 months have seen exponential growth, with member satisfaction scores also increasing significantly.

As the most diversified healthcare group in Southern Africa, AfroCentric’s mission is to innovate a new integrated sustainable healthcare model that measurably improves access to quality care. Hospital at Home fits squarely into this agenda, and the results speak for themselves.

“This is just the latest initiative that Medscheme has added to ensure scheme members always have access to safe, convenient, and quality care when they need it most.” She concludes.

A sentiment echoed by a Hospital at Home user who shared, “Thank you for this programme. It meant the world to us to have been able to take care of my husband at home.”

This reflects the impact of bringing hospital-level care into the comfort of patients' homes, offering both peace of mind and exceptional care when it matters most.

Hospital at Home is available to all Medscheme client schemes, including AECI, Bonitas, Barloworld, Fedhealth, GEMS, Horizon, MBMed, Medshield, Parmed, POLMED, SABC, and SAMWUMED.

The service is paid for out of members’ in-hospital benefits.