MedPage Today Op-Ed: Extend the Hospital-at-Home Waiver Before It's Too Late
MedPage Today has published an op-ed by Terry Fulmer, PhD, RN, FAAN, president of The John A. Hartford Foundation, titled, "Extend the Hospital-at-Home Waiver Before It's Too Late."
The article talks about the positive outcomes of Hospital at Home and cites recent studies, including a report from CMS published in JAMA Health Forum which found "low rates of emergency returns to the hospital, referrals to skilled nursing facilities, 30-day hospital readmissions, and mortality."
In November 2020, with the COVID pandemic severely stressing hospital capacity, CMS implemented the Acute Hospital Care at Home waiver and enabled hospitals and health systems to deliver hospital-level care in patients' homes. More than 300 hospitals in 37 states have obtained this payment waiver.
The design of hospital-at-home programs embodies the tenets of the Age-Friendly Health Systems movement. A recent report from the Bipartisan Policy Center recommended a 5-year extension for the waiver which is set to expire at the end of 2024. In this op-ed, Terry Fulmer notes that, "A continued payment waiver will assure that older adults receive care where they feel (and ultimately heal) their best: in their own homes."
Read the op-ed.
Learn more about Hospital at Home.
Go to the JAMA paper.
Go to the Annals of Internal Medicine paper.
Learn more about JAHF's co-support of Hospital at Home.
