Home-Based Care: New Models & Future Expectations
- As the demand for in-home services grows, at-home care providers are increasingly investing in alternative home-based care models.
- Companies such as DispatchHealth, Contessa Health, and Alivia Care have embraced these alternative models, despite inherent challenges like complex regulations and considerable capital investments.
- Contessa Health initially focused on hospital-at-home to build its in-home care capabilities.
Home-based care is undergoing a notable change as providers invest in innovative models. This shift is driven by rising demand and aims to create comprehensive care solutions, with a focus on hospital-at-home programs and Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). Companies such as DispatchHealth and Contessa Health are leading the charge, expanding their offerings despite regulatory and financial hurdles. These new approaches promise more diverse care options and increased convenience for patients. alivia CareS integration of PACE highlights the trend toward holistic patient care. News Directory 3 is tracking this fast-moving story. Discover what’s next for the future of at-home care.
Home-Based Care Providers Investing Heavily in alternative care Models
Updated June 12, 2025
As the demand for in-home services grows, at-home care providers are increasingly investing in alternative home-based care models. Thes include hospital-at-home programs and the program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), aiming to create more comprehensive care delivery systems.
Companies such as DispatchHealth, Contessa Health, and Alivia Care have embraced these alternative models, despite inherent challenges like complex regulations and considerable capital investments. experts predict these models will soon become standard practise for home-based care providers, offering patients more options and convenience.
Contessa Health initially focused on hospital-at-home to build its in-home care capabilities. Dr. Robert Moskowitz, chief medical officer at Contessa Health, noted the company saw it as the highest acuity care possible in a patient’s residence. Contessa Health, based in Nashville, Tenn., has been providing in-home care since 2015, partnering with 11 health systems and numerous health plans across nine states.
DispatchHealth, which began as an in-home urgent care service, also expanded into the hospital-at-home arena. CEO Jennifer Webster highlighted the company’s bridge care program, designed to prevent hospital readmissions within 30 days of discharge. DispatchHealth offers a full spectrum of high-acuity care, from pre-acute to post-acute, and has treated over 1.2 million patients in more then 20 states. The company recently merged with Medically Home.
Alivia Care has used PACE to broaden its service offerings. Susan Ponder-Stansel, CEO of Alivia Care, described PACE as a model providing longitudinal care to patients who could reside in long-term care but prefer to stay in their communities. Alivia Care opened The PACE Place in jacksonville, Fla., in 2021. The company provides various services, including home health, hospice, and palliative care, across northern Florida and southern Georgia.
Despite its benefits, ponder-Stansel acknowledged the challenges of operating a PACE program, including significant capital needs and navigating a complex regulatory surroundings involving CMS and state health agencies.
Contessa Health and DispatchHealth are exploring partnerships with PACE programs. Moskowitz believes PACE programs are a natural progression, while Ponder-Stansel mentioned the PACE Part D Choice Act as a potential catalyst for growth.
“[Bridge care is] after that patient is discharged,in the 30-day window that follows that discharge,helping to make sure that patient doesn’t readmit to the hospital,” Webster said.
What’s next
Looking ahead,Webster anticipates that alternative care models will become the norm,offering patients a lower-cost setting of care and alleviating capacity challenges in customary brick-and-mortar healthcare systems.