4 ways to improve hospital at home

While the CMS waiver to provide acute hospital care at home has existed since 2020, the majority of hospitals and health systems still don’t have a program.

Here are four ways to increase adoption, according to Austin Kilaru, MD, a senior fellow at the Philadelphia-based Penn Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, in an April 29 news release:

1. Simplify the model — focus on what patients actually need. “Allow flexible, lower-intensity versions (more virtual care, fewer in-person visits) instead of requiring full hospital replication,” Dr. Kilaru recommended.

2. Invest upfront, not just reimburse later. “Create payment models that cover startup costs, not just per-patient care, especially for rural and safety-net hospitals,” he said.

3. Align payers to support scale. “Bring Medicaid and commercial insurers into the model so hospitals can build programs that work across all patients — not just those on Medicare,” he suggested.

4. Build toward integrated, at-home care episodes. “Move beyond ‘hospital replacement’ to bundled models that combine acute and post-acute care at home for better outcomes and lower costs,” he said.

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/healthcare-information-technology/innovation/4-ways-to-improve-hospital-at-home/