All health establishments can now create hospital hotels, either within the establishment or outside.
These non-medical places allow patients who do not need continuous care to sleep the day before or the day after an operation or a hospital stay in a comfortable room a few meters from the hospital.
Free of charge.
Who can this alternative to hospitalization be offered to?
20 Minutes
takes stock of this innovation included in the Ségur de la Santé.
It was one of the (little known) measures of the Ségur de la Santé.
The desire to generalize hospital hotels, also called patient hotels.
After three years of experimentation, the decree published this Thursday morning in the Official Journal provides that all health establishments, public and private, will be able to embark on the adventure.
But what is a hospitable hotel and who is it for?
An alternative to the hospital
The ambition was to offer an alternative to patients who do not need continuous care, but to stay close to the hospital for one night or more.
Without having to spend a fortune for a hotel room ... With the shift towards ambulatory care and the shortage of hospital beds, this option may seem interesting.
On condition that it concerns only autonomous patients ...
In 2017, 41 establishments had embarked on the experiment. “The objective was to improve access to care, to streamline support upstream and downstream of hospital stays,” specifies the General Directorate of Care Provision (DGOS), in charge of the case. And refocus the hospital on its care function. "
A positive report on this experience was submitted to Parliament in June 2020. Another advantage: very good feedback from patients. Indeed, 95% were satisfied. This is why the Social Security financing law for 2021 provides for the generalization of this device. The decree and a decree, published this Thursday, mainly provide for its funding: if until now, it was up to the hospital or the clinic to pay the costs, they will now be covered up to 80 euros per night. "We are on an incentive policy: the average cost is generally less than these 80 euros, insists the DGOS. If there is an outstanding charge for the patient, it can be reimbursed by the mutual funds. "
This funding remains temporary, for three years, since an evaluation will tell at the end of 2022 whether this solution is optimal and sustainable.
Important clarification: although this long-awaited decree only appeared in August, it has a retroactive aspect (from January 1) to prevent a project launched during the experiment from being interrupted.
Who are these hospital hotels for?
These places, not medicalized, are intended only for patients and not for accompanying persons.
We are therefore not talking about a parents' house here, for example.
Moreover, this innovative accommodation is prescribed by a health practitioner, before or after a surgical intervention or a hospital stay.
On the other hand, the beneficiary may have one accompanying person when he is of age, two if he is a minor.
"The objective is to keep the patient close to the health establishment, either to intervene again, or to carry out discontinuous monitoring", continues the DGOS. Typically, these rooms can be convenient for patients who need to have surgery at 7:00 a.m. When they live far from the establishment, they can sleep a few meters the night before and avoid getting up at 5 am… or arriving late. Beyond the obvious comfort, patients can be reassured but also relieved to wake up in a more colorful and less anxiety-provoking universe than the corridors of a hospital filled with white coats.
What are the conditions for offering this alternative?
"These hospital hotels can be deployed internally or externally, with another health establishment, an associative structure, a hotel partner, etc.", continues the DGOS.
Since this is temporary accommodation, the law provides for a time limit.
With two criteria: a threshold of three consecutive nights without medical intervention.
But also a total of 21 nights for the same patient.
With two important exceptions: this rule does not apply to cancer patients following radiotherapy or chemotherapy, nor to cases of transfers from or to Overseas France.
Positive feedback from patients and caregivers
A dispensation that reassured caregivers of the Léon-Bérard Cancer Center (CLCC), a private non-profit establishment in Lyon which is familiar with this device.
In fact, in 2017, it offered these patients, most of whom were followed in radiotherapy over several weeks, five apartments next to the structure.
And the feedback, both from patients and caregivers, seems very positive.
A patient, treated for breast cancer, explained during a satisfaction survey: "the apartment allowed me to be less tired, less stressed and on time for the operation" .
“Sometimes, they drive 300 km to do 20 minutes of radiotherapy,” explains a member of the Léon-Bérard center team.
We also have a lot of patients who come from Guyana, where there is no radiotherapy.
"
Thanks to the decree, the Léon-Bérard center was able to expand its offer.
"In June, we had the opportunity to buy a structure 500m from the center from an association, that is to say 22 rooms all ready and common areas in a family pension spirit," resumes this administrative center.
The hospital saved 2 million euros in transport costs.
And found a greater hospital capacity: about 15%.
Because often, we had to hospitalize these patients.
"
Hence a positive feedback also from caregivers, who juggle a little less with the available beds.
"We had a very favorable reception from surgeons interested in the device for the day before the operation and for the consequences, for example in ophthalmology", specifies another member of the team of this center dedicated to cancer.
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