Issues
Across the broader Asia-Pacific, population aging accounted for an average of 33.6% of the total increase in population-level disease burden between 2000 and 2019, with non-communicable diseases — including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease — now driving the overwhelming majority of healthcare utilization (1). The aging population, medical staff shortage, and constrained bed capacity are compounding pressures that are placing the hospital system under severe and growing strains— render the traditional hospital-centric model increasingly untenable as a primary response to chronic and age-related disease (2). Therefore, an effective Hospital-at-Home (HaH) with integrated technologies such as remote monitoring, AI-assisted care management and telemedicine to deliver hospital-level care in a patient’s own home is critical to address these challenges. A Cochrane review found that HaH models, compared to traditional inpatient care, result in lower complication rates, reduced re-admissions, better functional outcomes, and lower costs, alongside higher levels of patient and family satisfaction (3).
A deeper challenge underlies these delivery gaps: the fragmented and inconsistent health information architectures within individual economies, which fundamentally limit the effectiveness of any digital or integrated care solution. Effective digital care depends on seamless clinical data flow across settings. Yet in many APEC economies, information silos between primary, acute, and community care persist — producing fragmented records, duplicated assessments, and limited capacity for proactive disease management. How different APEC economies are navigating this challenge — and which governance frameworks are enabling or hindering the use of health data for digital home-based care — represents a critical area for shared policy learning across the region.
1.Editorial: Innovations in older adult care and health service management: a focus on the Asia-Pacific region - PMC
2.Health Care Staffing Shortages and Potential National Hospital Bed Shortage - PMC
3.(AHRQ Hospital-at-Home Program — https://psnet.ahrq.gov/innovation/hospital-homesm-care-reduces-costs-readmissions-and-complications-and-enhances).
Eligibility and Fund Priorities
This project is well aligned with the funding priorities of the ASF Sub-Fund for the Future of Healthcare through its promotion of an integrated, regionally scalable Hospital-at-Home (HaH) framework that advances community-based primary care and chronic disease management by enabling hospital-level clinical oversight and incorporating advanced technologies, including wearable medical devices, telemedicine platforms, and AI-assisted analytical tools, to ensure continuous monitoring in home and community settings.
By embedding AI-driven predictive analytics, IoT-enabled wearable sensors, and telemedicine platforms into this care model, the project leverages cutting-edge digital and data-driven technologies to extend healthcare coverage to aging and underserved populations facing severe workforce shortages and constrained hospital capacity across APEC economies. By delivering high-quality, efficient, and affordable home-based care across all stages of life, the project integrates both established clinical practices and innovative technology-enabled approaches to enhance patient well-being beyond traditional institutional settings.
Central to this effort is the active advocacy for and adoption of data-driven technologies, including AI-powered predictive modeling, big data analytics, and cloud-based health platforms, to measurably improve healthcare delivery, early risk detection, and patient outcomes across participating APEC economies.
These efforts are anchored in a multi-stakeholder cooperation model that brings together governments, healthcare providers, technology developers, and industry through structured public-private partnerships and deliberate cross-forum collaboration with PPSTI and SMEWG, ensuring that interoperable, scalable HaH solutions are co-developed through the breadth of expertise and shared commitment necessary for sustained regional impact.
Capacity Building
This project will strengthen capacity across APEC economies through a combination of technical and knowledge exchange, and policy engagement:
-Technical Knowledge Sharing: Sharing of best practices in AI-driven predictive analytics, remote patient monitoring, and IoT-enabled healthcare solutions to build local technical capabilities.
-Policy Dialogue and Regulatory Alignment: Facilitation of cross-economy dialogue to address regulatory barriers and promote data interoperability.
-Workshop: Workshop with capacity-building activities targeting healthcare professionals, technology developers, and policy makers to support adoption and integration of HaH solutions.
-Public-Private Collaboration: Strengthening partnerships between governments, healthcare institutions, and industry to accelerate innovation and deployment of home-based care models.
Through these efforts, the project will enhance the ability of APEC economies to adopt innovative care delivery models, improve healthcare system resilience, and support sustainable and health outcomes across the region.
