As of early July, there were at least 331 hospitals and 136 health systems across 37 states participating in a first-of-its-kind hospital-at-home waiver from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
The waiver – formerly known as the Acute Hospital Care at Home (AHCaH) waiver – was launched during the COVID-19 public health emergency to boost hospital capacity at a time when inpatient beds were incredibly scarce. While COVID-19 has become less of a crisis, the waiver has stuck around because of the success of hospital-at-home models.
That waiver is in danger of going away, however, come Dec. 31, 2024, without legislative action.
Home-based care executives, including Rob Schlissberg, president of Cardinal Health at-Home Solutions, are urging lawmakers to avoid that outcome.
“We stand firmly with the hospitals and health systems that are lobbying for a minimum five-year extension of the AHCaH waiver program,” Schlissberg wrote in a recent op-ed. “Extending the program will help bolster hospital participation, enabling hospitals to initiate and establish their programs while gathering essential data to prove hospital-at-home’s long-term value in patient care.”
Cardinal Health at-Home Solutions is the home medical equipment (HME) arm of health-care company Cardinal Health (NYSE: CAH).
Historically, one of the biggest roadblocks to popularizing hospital-at-home models across the U.S., beyond reimbursement, was supply-chain challenges. Getting equipment into the home for patients admitted to hospital-at-home in a timely manner is difficult, a concept that became crystalized during the pandemic when such programs were in high demand and gaining steam.
To be a solution, Cardinal Health at-Home Solutions launched Velocare in November 2022.
From July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024, Velocare served more than 5,000 patients in 11 major metropolitan areas, according to Schlissberg’s op-ed. In turn, Velocare realized a more than 760% increase in the number of monthly orders it received for hospital-at-home admissions.
“Through collaborative efforts with health-care providers, industry innovators, policymakers and more, we work diligently to ensure that patients have access to the care they need, when and where they need it most,” Schlissberg wrote.
Passing hospital-at-home legislation will be a daunting task in a politically charged year, but, generally, the model is supported by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
Additionally, hospital-at-home programs have gained widespread support from patients as well. In a recent survey from Vivalink, 84% of patients surveyed said they’re likely to participate in hospital-at-home patient monitoring programs, citing convenience and comfort of home as the primary reasons for participating.
“We are committed to seeing hospital-at-home through – we will continue to invest in this movement and in our own Velocare business,” Schlissberg continued. “The AHCaH waiver represents a significant step forward in health care innovation. Its extension is not only essential for meeting the evolving needs of patients but also for advancing the broader goals of health-care quality, equitable access and affordability.”
