AHA supports bill to extend hospital-at-home program

The American Hospital Association last week thanked the senators and representatives who introduced a bill to extend for five years the hospital-at-home program. Sens. Tom Carper, D-Del., and Tim Scott, R-N.C., and Reps. Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, and Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., introduced the bipartisan Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act of 2024 (S. 4350/H.R. 8260) in the Senate and House, respectively. The AHA says starting a hospital-at-home program requires an “investment of time, staff and money,” with some providers also navigating additional state regulatory requirements. Because the process can take a year or more to complete before providers can see patients at home, a longer extension would provide stability for existing programs, as well as allow more hospitals to initiate programs. (AHA Senate letter, 5/23/24)