On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution that would extend the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital-at-Home (HaH) waiver program and telehealth flexibilities through Sept. 30, pending Senate approval.
This program, scheduled to end on March 31, enables hospitals to deliver hospital-level care to patients in their homes. However, this generally conflicts with CMS requirements for 24-hour nursing care availability.
In February, the in-home care advocacy group Moving Health Home sent a letter to Congress urging a five-year extension for the waiver. Nearly 100 stakeholders signed the letter, including AARP, BrightStar Care, Optum, the Home Care Association of America, DispatchHealth, and Medically Home.
The funding patch includes limited health care extensions and funding. It would extend telehealth flexibilities for Medicare beneficiaries and providers, allowing telehealth visits from a broader list of locations, including the patient’s home, and permit a wider range of provider types to offer telehealth services.
“We appreciate Congress taking action to prevent a lapse in these vital telehealth flexibilities,” Kyle Zebley, executive director of ATA Action, the advocacy arm of the American Telemedicine Association said. “While we would have preferred a longer extension, this step ensures uninterrupted access to telehealth services for patients and clinicians as we continue working toward permanent solutions that meet the needs of modern health care.”
The Acute Hospital Care at Home program was launched in November 2020 amid the pandemic. Congress has extended the HaH waivers twice: first for two years in 2022 and then for an additional 90 days at the end of 2024. The Congressional Budget Office has classified both extensions as budget-neutral.
As of November 2024, 378 hospitals across 140 systems in 39 states have received approval to provide HaH services to patients, according to the American Hospital Association.
The continuing resolution now goes to the Senate for a vote.
Companies featured in this article:
AARP, Acute Hospital Care at Home, American Hospital Association, American Telemedicine Association, BrightStar Care, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid, DispatchHealth, Home Care Association of America, Medically Home, Medicare, Moving Home Health, Optum
