Coram, the infusion care business of CVS Health, expands strategy to help transition eligible IV-therapy patients from hospitals to in-home nursing in Georgia during the pandemic
WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) is working with Piedmont Healthcare in Georgia to support their solutions for increasing hospital bed capacity. This expands a recently launched strategy of Coram, the company’s infusion care business, to help transition eligible IV-therapy patients to home-based nursing care in response to COVID-19. Specifically, Coram has enhanced its clinical monitoring, virtual support and oversight through telehealth to complement existing personalized in-home support, coordination and administration of medications and supplies. In states like Georgia, ensuring the ability of hospital and health systems to handle potential surges of COVID-19 patients has become a critical factor in assessing stay-at-home orders and reopening local economies.https://gov.georgia.gov/press-releases/2020-04-20/gov-kemp-updates-georgians-covid-19
“Coram can deliver a clinically appropriate in-home care setting, which can be the safest place for patients recovering from a range of illnesses during this time by helping to minimize their risk of contracting COVID-19,” said Sree Chaguturu, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of CVS Caremark and CVS Specialty. “Our Coram model allows us to deploy clinical teams where the need is greatest, and we are shifting resources to support Piedmont Healthcare as a critical part of their solution to build and maintain hospital bed capacity for treating the critically ill impacted by the virus.”
Coram is working with Piedmont Healthcare to identify and begin transitioning stable patients to home-based nursing care. Patients with a range of conditions that may require infusion therapy, including hydration and nutritional support, anti-infectives and/or specialty medications for chronic condition management, will be considered. Once home, Coram’s specialized nurses will provide and coordinate a range of care, including daily visits and monitoring, medication administration, IV catheter line care, lab draws and educational support via telehealth. Coram is scaling this approach nationwide in other markets with high rates of COVID-19 cases, and working with home health agencies to enable care for patients with high acuity needs that may require additional clinical oversight and monitoring.
“During these extraordinary and unprecedented times, we remain focused on serving Georgians’ health care needs and have implemented a number of strategies that enable continuity of care for our patients and communities,” Robert Miller, M.D., Medical Director of Wound Care and Hyperbarics, Chair of the Board Piedmont Atlanta Hospital. “Together, with companies like CVS Health, we can employ innovative solutions that create the additional care capacity we need to help Georgians get through this.”
More information on the steps that CVS Health is taking to address the COVID-19 pandemic is available at the company’s frequently updated COVID-19 resource center.
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