Baptist Health expands Hospital at Home program

Adult patients at Baptist Medical Center South who require hospital-level care but are stable enough to be treated safely at home may now have an opportunity to transfer to the Baptist Hospital at Home program. The clinical service, which brings 24/7 inpatient care into the comfort and convenience of patients’ homes, is now being offered at Baptist South following its successful launch at Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville in February.

For patient Janice Carrier, the expansion came at the perfect time. After being treated for an infection at Baptist South for eight days, she was able to transfer into the Baptist Hospital at Home program and continue receiving antibiotic treatment in the comfort of her own home. While still under hospital care, Carrier was monitored by a clinical team of doctors, nurses, paramedics and case managers who ensured she continued to receive her treatment under close supervision until her infection was gone and she was discharged from the program a week later.

“It was a miracle. It really was,” said Carrier, 89, who had already been in the hospital twice previously in the past five months. “Going home was a dream. I was still not myself from being on antibiotics, but to be at home with familiar surroundings just made me feel better."

24/7 care and services

The program brings clinical staff, equipment, technologies, medications and skills usually provided in hospitals into the homes of patients who meet specific clinical criteria as determined by an emergency medicine or hospital physician.

Designed for hospitalized adults with needs that require hospital-level care, the program supports patients who are clinically stable to recover at home with close monitoring by a dedicated care team of doctors, 24/7 nurses and community paramedics. Examples of conditions people may be treated for include pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cellulitis and urinary tract infections (UTIs), among many others.

Since starting the program in February 2026 at Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville, more than 300 patients have been transferred from both hospitals to their home for continued care.

“We are pleased we’ve been able to provide expert hospital-level care to so many patients in the comfort and the convenience of their own home and to expand the program to more patients in Northeast Florida,” said Alison Bartfield, MD, medical director of Baptist Physician Partners Senior Strategy and Baptist Hospital at Home. “We know research shows that when home recovery is clinically appropriate, many patients experience positive outcomes and there are fewer readmissions to the hospital following care.”

Baptist Hospital at Home patients have access to many of the same inpatient medical services available at Baptist Health hospitals. Available services include:

• A personalized care plan;
• At least two in-person visits daily by a community paramedic, plus a daily virtual visit with a physician;
• 24/7 virtual nursing oversight and communication (all equipment provided, including tablets and even Wi-Fi, if needed);
• Labs, EKG, IV infusions/medications, oxygen/respiratory care, imaging and diagnostic services; and
• Pharmacy services, nutrition, care management services (social work, case management, discharge planning), physical and occupational therapy, if needed.

“We’re pleased to be able to offer this program to our patients at Baptist South, which gives them the opportunity, at the recommendation of their doctor, to receive advanced, hospital-level care where they are most comfortable,” said Kyle W. Dorsey, FACHE, hospital president of Baptist South. “They can focus on healing at home, surrounded by the people they love, with the trusted care and support they expect from Baptist Health.”

Baptist Health will continue to evaluate the program and consider opportunities to expand it to additional locations.