Hospital at home saves lives and money: CMS report

Hospital at home saves lives and money: CMS report 
American Medical Association; by Jennifer Lubell; 11/22/24 
A federal report to Congress on the Acute Hospital Care at Home initiative shows that at-home acute care produces lower mortality rates and post-discharge spending than traditional inpatient care while also yielding positive feedback from patients and caregivers. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched the home-care initiative in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency, granting waivers to individual hospitals to provide Medicare patients with inpatient-level home care. With 358 approved hospitals across 137 health systems in 39 states since its start in November 2020, this innovation in care delivery has become an important feature of the Medicare program. ... Importantly, these programs demonstrate clinically, and often more cost-effective care. “Numerous studies have demonstrated that many types of care that are currently delivered in an office or facility could be provided at home, with clinically appropriate, high quality, and cost-effective outcomes,” wrote the authors of the AMA report. About 15–20% of emergency and urgent care services and up to 35% of hospice services are capable of being administered at home. As home care continues to evolve, this service could provide up to 25% of post-acute and long-term care in the home.