To optimize patient outcomes and preserve critical acute care access during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services developed the SAFE@HOMEO2 Expected Practice (expected Practice), enabling ambulatory oxygen management for COVID-19.

[The objective of the study was] to assess outcomes of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia discharged via the expected practice approach to home or quarantine housing with supplemental home oxygen. Patients receiving at least 3L per minute of oxygen, stable without other indication for inpatient care, were discharged from either emergency or inpatient encounters with home oxygen equipment, educational resources, and nursing telephone follow-up within 12-18 hours of discharge.

At total of 621 patients with COVID-19 pneumonia… were discharged with home oxygen. The all-cause mortality rate was 1.3% and the 30-day return hospital admission rate and no deaths occurred in the ambulatory setting. Ambulatory management of COVID-19 with home oxygen has an acceptable safety profile, and the expected practice approach may help optimize outcomes by ensuring right care in the right place at the right time while preserving access to acute care during a pandemic.

– “Mortality and Readmission Rates Among Patients With COVID-19 After Discharge From Acute Care Setting With Supplemental Oxygen” by Josh Banerjee, MD, MPH, MS; Catherine P. Canamar, PhD; Christian Voyageur, BA; et al

Stay well, mask if appropriate, and stay tuned!