Congress introduces legislation to extend hospital-at-home program

The AHA praised Congress May 23 for their support and introduction of the bipartisan Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, which would grant a five-year extension to the hospital-at-home program. 
 
"Standing up a H@H program requires logistical and technical work, with an investment of time, staff and money," AHA wrote in letters to Senate and House leaders. "In addition to being approved for the federal waiver, some providers must navigate additional regulatory requirements at the state level. For some, this whole process could take a year or more to complete before that first patient is seen at home. A longer extension of the H@H program would provide much-needed stability for existing programs to continue providing care to their patients, and it would give time for others to start programs allowing more patients to benefit from this innovative program."