CMS releases report on hospital at home initiative

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released a report on the acute hospital care at home program, concluding patients and caregivers had positive experiences. Program participants were more likely to be white and live in urban areas, and they were less likely to receive Medicaid or low-income subsidies. While the report does not offer insight into the criteria participating hospitals used to identify suitable patients, it notes hospitals used evidence and an awareness of their own capacity to support care in the home to establish their criteria. The most common treatments were for respiratory, circulatory and renal conditions, as well as infectious diseases. The study also found patients had a lower mortality rate than those in traditional facilities but had a slightly longer length of stay. (CMS fact sheet, 9/30/24)