Medpage Today recently published an op-ed by Terry Fulmer, PhD, RN, FAAN, president of The John A. Hartford Foundation, advocating for the extension of the Hospital-at-Home waiver. This crucial waiver, set to expire at the end of 2024, allows hospitals to provide hospital-level care in the comfort of patients’ homes.
The Benefits of Hospital at Home
Fulmer’s MedPage Today piece highlights the significant positive outcomes associated with Hospital at Home programs. These programs, aligned with the principles of Age-Friendly Health Systems, offer a patient-centered approach to care, allowing individuals to recover in familiar surroundings. A recent CMS report, published in JAMA Health Forum, underscores the efficacy of this model, revealing low rates of emergency department returns, readmissions, transfers to skilled nursing facilities, and mortality among Hospital at Home patients.
The Urgency of Extension
Initiated in November 2020 to address hospital capacity strain during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Acute Hospital Care at Home waiver has enabled over 300 hospitals across 37 states to deliver this innovative care model. However, with the waiver’s impending expiration, the future of these successful programs hangs in the balance. A Bipartisan Policy Center report recommends a 5-year extension, emphasizing the need for continued access to this valuable care option.
MedPage Today’s Call to Action
Fulmer’s MedPage Today op-ed stresses the importance of extending the waiver to ensure older adults, and other eligible patients, can continue to receive high-quality care in the setting where they often heal best: their homes. Extending the waiver will not only preserve access to this beneficial care model but also contribute to improved patient outcomes and reduced healthcare costs. The potential negative impact of the waiver’s expiration on patients and the healthcare system as a whole makes its extension a matter of critical importance.
Supporting Hospital at Home
The John A. Hartford Foundation actively supports the Hospital at Home model. Learn more about the Foundation’s efforts, the JAMA Health Forum CMS report, and the original MedPage Today op-ed using the links provided. Further insights into the success of Hospital at Home can be found in the Annals of Internal Medicine and through the Hospital at Home Users Group.
