New technology expands access, turning patients’ bedrooms into ‘hospitals’
WHEN CURTIS CARLSON STARTED HAVING BACK PAIN THIS spring, he put off seeing a doctor. His job at a transitional-housing organization in Ukiah, Calif., was busier than ever amid the economic collapse, COVID-19 was raging, and a hospital seemed like the last place he wanted to be.
But when he finally took himself to the emergency room and was diagnosed with a kidney infection, Carlson figured he’d have no choice but to stay. Instead, his doctors told him about a new program that would allow him to finish the rest of his hospital care at home, with a medical team monitoring him virtually around the clock and making in-person visits multiple times each day.
“I was blown away,” says Carlson, 49. When it became clear that staff would set up all the
