Annals of Internal Medicine Brief Research Report: Acute Hospital Care at Home in the United States - The Early National Experience
The Annals of Internal Medicine Journal has published a brief research report, "Acute Hospital Care at Home in the United States: The Early National Experience."
This report evaluates national-level impact of the Acute Hospital Care at Home (AHCaH) waiver, which was issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) to create a regulatory and payment pathway for hospitals to deliver AHCaH. This care allows patients to receive to hospital-level care in their homes as a substitute for hospital care that is often expensive and unsafe.
The study reports on the early national experience of the AHCaH waiver that involved more than 300 hospitals in 37 states. The diverse group of medically complex patients received care with low rates of mortality, escalation, skilled-nursing facility use and readmission. Study patients included those with dual eligibility, a disability or dementia, and similar outcomes among various disadvantaged groups.
The report overall suggests that AHCaH is an important and effective care model to to manage acute illness, including among socially vulnerable and medically complex patients. Author David M. Levine shares additional insights on the paper in a three minute video.
Go to the abstract.
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