Mark Howell, director of policy for the American Hospital Association, said if CMS' waiver for hospital-at-home programs isn't extended, a lot of the programs would shut down and only payer-providers could keep them going, Time reported Oct. 10.
During the pandemic, CMS allowed regulatory flexibility that gave hospitals permission to offer inpatient-level care in patients' homes. Health systems could also receive reimbursement for the care provided in these hospital at home programs under the flexibility.
But the extension for the flexibility is set to expire on Dec. 31, 2024, which could change the trajectory for hospitals and health systems offering these home-based care programs.
"My biggest fear, though, is that if the waiver is not extended, you lose a lot of momentum," Mr. Howell told the publication.
He said especially at a time when "there's a chance to really change the way we deliver healthcare in a very innovative way."
Mr. Howell said the only organizations that could keep their home-based programs going if the flexibility were not to be extended are payer-providers, like Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente.
As of late August 2023, CMS has authorized 296 hospitals and 125 health systems in 37 states to offer acute hospital care at home, according to the publication.