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Business Spotlight

The Future Of Healthcare Is Coming HOME!

India continues to face a growing number of senior citizens living independently, who still need easy access to medical care without relatives to support them. With seemingly no options, patients had no choice but to prolong their hospital ICU stays until they were well enough to get discharged and were often left with crippling medical expenses or debts.

Rizwan Shaikh & Shrikant Kamath
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We have all experienced fear and apprehension when faced with an illness requiring a hospital stay. The stress-filled days and nights, arranging transport to and from the hospital while dealing with unending insurance paperwork can be overwhelming. You count down the days till you’re fit enough to be discharged because you know the hospital bill is increasing exponentially every day.

But, even if you go home early, will you just be stepping from the frying pan into the fire? How can you recover without the right medical aid and support at home? There has to be a better way!

A “Critical” Problem

Intensive care is essential during medical treatments. Unfortunately, people are traditionally expected to stay at hospitals to receive it.

With a hospital admission comes the hassle and hazards of commuting or the risk of contracting infections which can be fatal for the elderly or those with reduced immunity. According to the WHO, 15% of patients in acute-care hospitals will acquire at least one healthcare-associated infection (HAI) during their hospital stay. On average, one in every ten patients will die from their HAI.

The economic burden of ICU care at a hospital also can’t be denied. Data from the Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association (PHANA) shows that healthcare costs have increased by 30% for patients and hospitals.

India continues to face a growing number of senior citizens living independently, who still need easy access to medical care without relatives to support them. With seemingly no options, patients had no choice but to prolong their hospital ICU stays until they were well enough to get discharged and were often left with crippling medical expenses or debts.

Turning Ideas into Innovation

Faced with these obstacles, home healthcare became the most logical way to provide quality medical services in the comfort of one’s home.

However, in early 2019, before the onslaught of the Covid pandemic, there was a huge gap in the market. Homecare services were largely restricted to doctors' home visits and nursing care at home, which was invaluable but wasn’t really a substitute for the intensive care patients receive in critical care units in a hospital setup.

This created an opportunity for Procare, a home healthcare service provider, which developed programs that provided ICU care at home. The company ensured patients had access to good quality, dependable medical equipment that turned their houses into hospital rooms. They even provided on-demand doctors, nurses, and attendants to deliver intensive, extended care outside the hospital in the comfort of their patient's homes.

In 2020, when the pandemic hit, Procare designed special covid care packages for home quarantine and treatment of covid positive patients. These services helped patients receive essential medical care at home, reassured with their access to equipment like O2 and ventilators, which were in short supply. Procare’s homecare assistance was a boon to many, especially in cities where hospitals ran at full capacity.

Critical care … and Beyond!

Having developed a flourishing model for critical care at home, Procare’s agile team soon started building vertices that offered a whole range of medical services right at the doorstep.

Procare supplies skilled nurses and attendants capable of handling various medical conditions, from physiotherapy to post-delivery care for mothers and babies to intubated patients.

“Our unique home care programs aim to deliver holistic services to our patients at home, through which they can receive Premium Care with a Personal Touch,” says Rizwan Shaikh, COO, and Co-founder, of Procare.

Putting the “care” in-home care.

Procare has certainly seen the fruits of its labor over the last few years. The company was felicitated as an “Iconic Critical Care Provider at Home” by the Hon Governor of Maharashtra and received the prestigious Lokmat Wellness Mentors Award from the Health Ministry of Maharashtra in 2021.

“Our enterprise was born out of a deep-rooted desire to make a difference in the lives of our patients. We have a highly motivated, focused team helping us in this endeavor. With strong networks and ties to the medical community and robust operational and logistic skills, we hold the patient’s well-being at the center of all we do,” says Shrikant Kamath, CEO and Co-Founder of Procare.

Growing at 19% CAGR, the Indian home healthcare market is expected to grow 2.5 times by 2025. Studies show that 60–80 % of the demand for home care has been fueled by senior citizens looking for supportive long-term care at home.

Facilitating intensive care at home is a responsibility that cannot be taken lightly. With the changing times, home healthcare agencies must ensure that they deliver consistent quality medical services. They need to provide the care that the community deserves... but with the added convenience of making it accessible right in their homes!

CTA: If you are wondering, “Which home care agencies are near me?” check out Procare Advisors @ https://procareadvisors.com/ to learn more about their services.