University Health has been recognized as a national leader for Hospital at Home, a program that provides hospital-level care in the comfort of a patient’s home.
America’s Essential Hospitals, the leading association and champion for hospitals dedicated to high-quality care for all, presented University Health with the 2025 Gage Award for operational excellence at a June 12 luncheon at VITAL2025 in Atlanta.
Patients who qualify for the Hospital at Home program receive medical equipment and internet-connected digital tablets for telehealth visits and education. Nurses visit twice a day, and patients have access to remote vital signs monitoring, physical and occupational therapy, labs and intravenous medications, and social support. Since 2021, the Hospital at Home program has cared for more than 3,400 patients, freeing more than 17,500 hospital beds for sicker patients. The program has reduced readmissions, increased patient satisfaction and saved University Health more than $17 million.
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Better hospital care, better home care at the same time
“Hospital at Home has really opened our eyes to the complete care of the patient,” said University Health CEO Ed Banos. “Program nurses can see if patients have good housing, family support, adequate food and transportation. It has also had a profound halo effect for the entire hospital. We admit more than 40,000 patients a year, and bed capacity is at a premium. If we see 20 or 30 of these patients at home, patients in the emergency rooms get into their own rooms that much faster.”
The program can have a halo effect for patients in the program as well. Rodolfo Escobedo, who is receiving Hospital at Home care for an infected knee, said being at home allows him to look after his elderly mother. “I feel safe—and I’m not taking up space at the hospital for somebody who really needs that bed.”
His nurse Lilliana Ruvalcaba, who has been working within the Hospital at Home program since its inception, said she has seen for herself how the program helps with patient care and recovery.
“It seems like being at home in their own environments promotes quicker healing, less readmissions and they feel more comfortable opening up to you with things that they might not tell you in the hospital,” Ruvalcaba said.
Vice President of Health Innovation Dr. Anna Taranova said University Health’s integrated teamwork is what makes Hospital at Home work so well.
“The Gage Award is a profound recognition of what drives the success of our Hospital at Home program: our people,” Dr. Taranova said. “More than a milestone, the Gage Award validates our vision for sustainable, community-centered care. It inspires us to keep pushing forward—investing in people, scaling our model and staying true to our purpose.”
Gage Award recognizes evidence-based solutions
The Gage Awards, named after association founder Larry Gage, honor and share successful and creative member hospital programs that improve patient care and meet community needs. The Gage Award for operational excellence recognizes activities that have successfully enhanced patient care quality, improved patient and staff experiences, and reduced harmful events through evidence-based strategies.
“Our members reach outside their walls to meet patients where they are and provide superior, person-centered care,” said Bruce Siegel, MD, MPH, president and CEO of America’s Essential Hospitals. “These awards spotlight innovative solutions that reflect their commitment to their mission.”
