Overview

The Hospital in the Home Conference will take place on the 2-3 April 2025 at the Hilton Sydney. The event is about leveraging the learnings from innovative models of care, working through the challenges and success factors in successful HITH rollouts and discussing the new opportunities in clinical areas where it may be most useful.

It will bring together a mix of decision makers from clinicians and hospital HITH leaders to government, private health insurers and operators, innovative service providers and more.

KEY TOPICS INCLUDE:

  • Real-life experiences and challenges
  • Latest innovations and research
  • Managing complex medical conditions and post-surgical care
  • Leveraging telehealth for consultations
  • Remote monitoring devices and data integration for home patients
  • Developing and managing HITH teams
  • How to scale HITH services in large health systems
  • Effective patient selection and assessment
  • Home infusion therapy
  • Ensuring safety and efficacy
  • Navigating challenges and opportunities

CALL FOR SPEAKERS!
Get in touch if you’re interested in speaking, and/or nominate topic ideas that you would like to see featured. For speaker submissions, please include the following information:

  • Name, job title, organisation
  • Presentation title
  • 3-5 bullet points explaining your main discussion points (40 words max.)
  • Would you like to join a panel discussion? Please list topics you can speak on
  • Would you like to facilitate a workshop? Please suggest workshop topics

To submit and for any queries, please contact:
Irene Amo
Senior Conference Producer
irene.amo@informa.com

Connect Virtual Care
The event will take place as part of 2025’s CONNECT VIRTUAL CARE event. We’re bringing together three related, but distinct events which will be co-located at the Hilton Sydney. One pass gives access to all three conferences

Supporting Partner

Charity Partner

2025 Speakers


Dr Shaun Hosein
Clinical Director – Virtual and Integrated Care, Metro South Hospital and Health Service


Dr June Song
Medical Director, Hospital in the Home Adult, Monash Health


A/Prof Deborah Fox
Associate Professor in Midwifery, University of Technology Sydney


Prof Rachel Bachner-Melman
Professor of Clinical Psychologist, Ruppin Academic Center and Hebrew University of Jerusalem


Laura Marsh
Virtual Health Change Manager, Strategy, Innovation & Improvement, South Eastern Sydney Local Health District


Ryan Hutton
Manager – Provider Networks, NIB


Carl Fiedler
Virtual Care Manager, Central Coast Local Health District


Niranjan Bidargaddi
Professor of Digital Health, Flinders University


Dr Helen Barrett
Director of Obstetric Medicine, Royal Hospital for Women


Eszter Josza
HITH co-ordinator, Department of Newborn Care, Royal Hospital for Women


Dr Lai Yi Feng
Acting Deputy Director, Integrated General Hospital (IGH) Programmes, MOH Office for Healthcare Transformation, Singapore & Adjunct Lecturer, National University of Singapore


Dr Carmon Guy
HITH Clinical Director,
Cairns Hospital, Queensland Health


Julia Conway
Director, Hospital Policy and Projects, Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority


Mirela Prgomet PhD
Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Health Systems and Safety Research, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University


Adeola Bamgboje-Ayodele
PhD, Research Fellow, Human Factors, The University of Sydney


Amy Wright
Clinical Nurse, Women’s and Children’s Hospital, SA


Helen Konowec
Clinical Co-Director of Maternity Services (Midwifery), Royal Hospital for Women

PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOP

6 March 2024, Hilton Sydney | 9:00 AM – 12:00 NN

A Multi-Factorial Approach to Staff Safety and Wellbeing in the Community Setting

This workshop will provide practical advice on:

  • Pre-visit screening, development of individualised safety plans and strategies/equipment to monitor staff location.
  • An organisation wide approach to minimising the risk of occupational violence, manual handling, and infection control risks.
  • The principles of dynamic risk assessment using the ‘You First’ Stop, Assess, Plan and Learn approach.
  • It will conclude with small group activities using real life incidents to develop skills in risk mitigation, post incident review and worker support strategies.

Workshop Facilitator:
Vicki Davies, At Home Services Manager, Peninsula Health

AGENDA

08:30

Registration & Morning Coffee

09:00

DAY ONE OPENING

09:05

Opening remarks from the Chair      

Dr Shaun Hosein, Senior Medical Officer – Hospital in the Home Service, Queensland Health

09:10

OPENING KEYNOTE | Virtual Hospital – The Future!

  • Health disruption over the next decade is inevitable with new innovative models required to deliver scalable healthcare. Care within the home, that is acute-focused is the next step that Australia needs to take to ensure our community can continue to receive affordable and accessible in-patient care.
  • The Calvary Amplar Health Joint Venture has delivered virtual hospital care to over 200,000 patients in the last three years, with critical learnings gained in how to operationalise a virtual hospital. Understanding that there are several differences between a virtual hospital and a typical Hospital in the Home is key.
  • Health service planning focusing centrally on the consumer need, with an outcomes-based approach, will help drive sustainable, activity-based funded acute virtual care. Calvary Amplar through the standalone NSQHS accredited virtual hospital has focused on the consumer who is seeking a more accessible, convenient, and personalised care approach.
  • Technology, including AI, algorithms to identify suitable patients for virtual care and wearable monitoring patches, can help achieve this new era of healthcare. Embracing innovative change to enable new ways of delivering care is paramount, with the demonstrated success of Calvary Amplar’s Virtual Hospital proof of the opportunities available more broadly to Australians requiring inpatient in-home care.

Sarah McRae, Chief Executive Officer, Calvary Amplar Health Joint Venture

09:40

KEYNOTE | The HITH Society, definition of HITH, and what HITH can do for you

Dr James Pollard, President, HITH Society Australasia

10:10

Flying high but staying grounded: A consumer’s perspective of care with Mental Health Hospital in the Home.

  • Halluncinations, delusions and disordered thoughts describe the experience of psychosis, but in this presentation, Jacqueline will outline her personal story behind the experience of psychosis and how vital care within the home is to a positive recovery.
  • In doing so, Jacqueline will compare and contrast her experience of care within a Mental Health Hosptial in the Home program to that of care within a traditional inpatient hospital settings.
  • Ultimately, this presentation seeks to provoke a dialogue about how care can be best delivered for some of the most vulnerable healthcare consumers – consumers experiencing mental ill health.

Jacqueline Kirkman, Lived Experience Project Officer, Mental Health Drugs and Alcohol Service, Barwon Health & Sessional Academic, School of Medicine (Optometry), Deakin University

10:40

Networking Break & Morning Tea

11:10

KEYNOTE | Unveiling the patient, referrer and provider perspectives of HITH in the private sector

  • Why does HITH in private health lack the public sector?
  • How a lack of standards lead to an inequity of access for consumers
  • This talk will use storytelling to explore the experiences of patients, referrers and providers and suggest a meaningful way forward

Ian Galvin, Chief Executive Officer, Ramsay Connect

11:40

Evolution of a Hospital In The Home (HITH) service at Liverpool Hospital, South Western Sydney Local Health Service

  • The Liverpool Hospital HITH service, established in 1998, has expanded the range of services it is able to provide over time
  • We describe the evolution of the service and present service data from 2016

Dr Prashanth Gunanayagam, Unaccredited Vascular Registrar, Liverpool Hospital, South Western Sydney Local Health District

12:10

PANEL | Expanding HitH service to unique populations: The St George Hospital experience of implementing HitH for women with Hyperemesis Gravidarum

  • In 2023 St George Hospital implemented HitH for women with hyperemesis gravidarum.
  • In this discussion the St George team will reflect on the challenges and successes of this change.
  • They will consider what brought the concept to reality and contemplate what could be on the horizon for new populations that could be cared for by HitH.

Iqra Khan, Clinical Midwifery Consultant Hyperemesis Gravidarum Initiative, South Eastern Sydney Local Health District
Kerrie Thomas, Clinical Nurse Consultant Ambulatory Care Unit, Outpatient Department & Hospital in the Home, St George Hospital
Dr Dan Wong, Hospital in the Home Staff Specialist, St George Hospital
Jo Engley, Clinical Nurse Educator, Gynaecology Ward, St George Hospital
Moderator: Anita Pfeiffer, Clinical Midwifery Consultant Risk & Practice Development, St George Hospital

13:00

Networking Lunch

14:00

How can private health care improve hospital in the home options?

  • Private Healthcare Australia research shows that over 10% of in-hospital care could be done out of hospital. This provides more than $1 billion in value at stake.
  • Australia is well behind the rest of the world in out of hospital care.
  • Our research shows that there are several clinical areas where there is significant room for improvement.
  • Australia’s current fee for service incentives funding model is a barrier to better patient care.

Ben Harris, Director of Policy and Research, Private Healthcare Australia

14:30

PANEL | Exploring the Benefits and Challenges of Insurance Coverage for HITH

  • Exploring the role of private health insurance and government funded health schemes. Is there enough insurance coverage available?
  • Affordability and accessibility for the vulnerable population?
  • How effective is the partnership between insurers and healthcare providers? How can this collaboration be improved?

Joanna Green, Principal, Hive Legal
Ian Galvin, Chief Executive Officer, Ramsay Connect
Angela Smarrelli, Clinical & Health Program Manager, GMHBA
Moderator: Ben Harris, Director of Policy and Research, Private Healthcare Australia

15:15

Networking Break & Afternoon Tea

15:45

PANEL | Tackling the Changing Expectations of Consumers

  • What factors are driving changes in consumer expectations? Does culture and generational difference play an important role?
  • What impact did technology have on HITH consumers? How do we balance personalisation and privacy concerns?
  • How did the Covid-19 pandemic change consumer behaviour and expectations?
  • Emerging trends and outlook?

Jacqueline Kirkman, Lived Experience Project Officer, Mental Health Drugs and Alcohol Service, Barwon Health & Sessional Academic, School of Medicine (Optometry), Deakin University
Aaron Le Saux, ICT Architecture and Integration Manager, Calvary Health Care
Stewart Dowrick, Chief Executive, Mid North Coast Local Health District
Moderator: Joanna Green, Principal, Hive Legal

16:30

PANEL | HITH Vs Virtual Hospitals

  • What is the difference?
  • Is language preventing us from thinking more broadly about innovative care?
  • Who is responsible for what?
  • Where are we headed?

Chenyao (Jerry) Yu, General Manager, Virtual Care and Hospital in the Home Services, Northern Sydney Local Health District
Dr Joanna Lawrence, Consultant Paediatrician, Researcher and VVED Paediatric Clinical Lead, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne
Sarah McRae, Chief Executive Officer, Calvary Amplar Health Joint Venture
Voni Leighton, Board member, HITH Society of Australasia
Moderator: Shane Delves, A/Stream Manager Virtual Care, NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation

This session will host both the HITH conference and the telehealth audience

17:15

End of Day 1 & Networking Drinks

08:30

Registration & Morning Coffee

09:00

DAY TWO OPENING

09:05

Opening remarks from the Chair

Peter Birch, CEO & Founder, Talking HealthTech

09:10

OPENING KEYNOTE | Real Life Experiences and Challenges of Home-Based Care

Stewart Dowrick, Chief Executive, Mid North Coast Local Health District

09:40

INTERNATIONAL KEYNOTE | Home Health Care: Health Literacy Considerations in Working with vulnerable populations

  • Analysis of health literacy and readability assessments methods available for home health care
  • Opportunities and challenges provided by Artificial Intelligence in health literacy for people receiving home health care
  • Role of Nurse Practitioners and Health Educators in Home Health care for rural populations

Dr Helda Pinzon-Perez, Professor, Department of Public Health and the School of Nursing, California State University, Fresno

10:10

INTERNATIONAL CASE STUDY | Hospital in the Home in Taiwan

  • Patients who received home healthcare services under Taiwan National Health Insurance Program were identified and reimbursement claims were analyzed. The majority of the home healthcare services were chronic wound care, tube replacements, including nasogastric tubes, Foley catheter, tracheostomy, or cystostomy tubes provided by physicians and skilled nurses.
  • Regarding the acute care for hospital in the home, dengue became an important health issue in southern Taiwan; and the practice of hospital in the home concept contributes greatly to ease the hospital load.
  • On April 11 2022, the CDC Command Center announced that considering that most covid cases are mild, it will activate the home care program for confirmed COVID-19 cases. This hospital in the home policy combined with telemedicine for covid patients also released the hospital pressure from covid crisis.
  • With the arrival of a super-aged society in 2025, Taiwan National Health Insurance Department will strongly promote home-based medical care.

Dr Meng-Jung Chen, Attending Physician, Department of Emergency and Family Medicine, Chi-Mei Medical Center, Taiwan

10:40

Networking Break & Morning Tea

11:10

The potential of HITH in the private sector

Barriers to its expansion and how this untapped potential is key to addressing key challenges for the health sector as a whole with specific reference to mental health

Lucy Cheetham, Director Policy and Research, Australian Private Hospitals Association

11:40

Virtual insanity! Managing risk through translating unplanned to planned care

We have seen the evolution of virtual healthcare over the past few years that has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This talk will illustrate concepts of virtual medical practice on a virtual ward. It will review emerging digital health tools and how they support virtual healthcare. It will also address virtual risk management and the supporting governance structures that optimise virtual health care. These concepts will ultimately show how to safely translate unplanned care to planned care.

Dr Shaun Hosein, Senior Medical Officer – Hospital in the Home Service, Queensland Health

12:10

Home Based Cancer Care – an Innovative HITH Expansion

  • With increasing consumer expectation of home based service delivery development of a Home Based Cancer Care (HBCC) program was the next logical step.
  • This presentation will discuss the process for implementation of HBCC within the existing HITH program.
  • It will include workforce engagement, policy development, barriers and enablers to implementation, medication safety and cytotoxic transport, staff safety and wellbeing considerations and consumer feedback.

Vicki Davies, At Home Services Manager, Peninsula Health

12:40

Networking Lunch

13:40

Revolutionizing Hospital-at-Home Care through Artificial Intelligence

  • AI algorithms can assist in accurate and timely diagnosis, reducing the need for frequent hospital visits. AI can also be used in continuous patient monitoring, predictive analytics for patient outcomes, and can significantly improve the quality of at-home care.
  • However, we need to address ethical implications and regulatory hurdles of implementing AI in a home-based healthcare setting, ensuring patient safety and data privacy.
  • These points aim to provide a comprehensive overview of the transformative potential of AI in Hospital in the Home settings, while also acknowledging the challenges that come with it.

A/Prof Sandeep Reddy, Director, MBA (Healthcare Management) Program, School of Medicine, Deakin University

14:10

PANEL | Navigating Operational Challenges and Opportunities in HITH

  • How has HITH reduced healthcare cost and hospital beds pressures?
  • Exploring complexities of coordinating care and resource allocation? How can HITH provide 24×7 care?
  • Are enough measures taken to ensure patient safety and quality care? What more can be done to enhance patient experience and comfort?
  • Workforce challenges and solutions? What potential does HITH have for growth and expansion in Australia?

Lucy Cheetham, Director Policy and Research, Australian Private Hospitals Association
Vicki Davies, At Home Services Manager, Peninsula Health

Dr Meng-Jung Chen, Attending Physician, Department of Emergency and Family Medicine, Chi-Mei Medical Center, Taiwan
Dr David Reiner, Co-Founder, NeuEra
Moderator: Dr Shaun Hosein, Senior Medical Officer – Hospital in the Home Service, Queensland Health

14:55

Closing Remarks from the Chair

15:00

Closing of the Conference

BOOK A PASS

STANDARD PASS

REGISTER NOW

  • Access to full two day conference
  • On-demand recordings
  • Networking drinks reception
  • Pre-book meetings with event app
  • Searchable attendee list
  • App messaging function
  • Live interactive Q&A & audience polls
  • Dedicated networking opportunities
  • BONUS post-event video content including speaker interviews
  • Access discounted hotel rate

VIRTUAL PASS

REGISTER NOW

  • Access to full two- day conference online
  • On-demand recordings
  • Searchable attendee list
  • App messaging function
  • Q&A through event app

  • Workshop pass: $495 + GST
  • Dinner ticket (single): $150 + GST
Packages Full Rate
2 Day Conference – Standard Pass $2,695 + GST
2 Day Conference – Healthcare Professional Pass $1,995 + GST
Virtual Pass – Standard $2,595 + GST
Virtual Pass – Healthcare Professional $1,795 + GST

Venue

Hilton Sydney
488 George St
Sydney NSW 2000

Event Code of Conduct

We want everyone who comes to our events to have a great experience. This code explains our expectations and rules, which includes general good practice behaviour, and how to report anything witnessed or experienced that goes against them. Read our Event Code of Conduct here.

ConnectMe + Streamly

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All of our events utilise a bespoke dynamic smartphone app, ConnectMe – which guarantees attendees a premium event experience. Logins are sent prior to the conference commencement allowing you to check who’s attending, schedule in meetings and catch ups, participate in live Q+A and interactive polls, and much more. ConnectMe ensures you never miss a beat prior, during and post event.

 

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Streamly is a new video platform from Informa Connect – hosting hours of session recordings from our events and more. Select the Streamly add-on at the checkout to receive an annual subscription to exclusive On-Demand session recordings from all of our related healthcare events*. Login information will be sent post event.

* Note: In a minority of cases, speakers may request their sessions to be excluded from Streamly access.