A bipartisan group of federal lawmakers has introduced a bill that would extend the CMS waiver to reimburse hospital-at-home programs by five years.
More than 200 hospitals across 34 states provide acute hospital care at home under a CMS waiver introduced during the pandemic. But that measure is set to expire Sept. 30. Health systems leaders have told Becker’s that the regulatory uncertainty is stifling the care model from reaching its full potential.
“Our nation is getting sicker and sicker, but programs like hospital at home allow us to treat patients more efficiently while delivering high-quality care at a lower cost,” said U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., in a July 10 news release. “We must ensure this life-changing model remains available for years to come.”
Mr. Buchanan introduced the Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act alongside U.S. Reps. Dwight Evans, D-Pa., and Lloyd Smucker, R-Pa., while Sens. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., introduced a companion bill in the Senate.
The American Hospital Association supports the legislation.
“America’s hospitals and health systems see hospital-at-home programs as a safe and innovative way to care for patients in the comfort of their homes,” said Lisa Kidder Hrobsky, senior vice president for advocacy and political affairs at the AHA, in the release. “This legislation will provide additional time to continue gathering data and will also provide much-needed stability for new and existing programs.”
