Taking Action to Extend Telehealth and Hospital-at-home Programs

People want medical care that is safe, convenient and accessible. Hospitals deliver that every day within their walls — and increasingly, outside of their walls as well, to the benefit of patients everywhere.

Improved technology has made telehealth services available for some time, providing increased access and convenience for patients. The regulatory waivers implemented during the pandemic allowed broader portions of the population to experience the benefits of virtual care. The expansion of telehealth services has transformed care delivery, expanded access for millions of Americans and increased convenience in caring for patients, especially those with transportation or mobility limitations, and those in rural communities.

Many of the same things can be said about the hospital-at-home model, where medically appropriate patients receive acute-level care in the comfort and familiarity of their homes, rather than in a hospital. It has emerged as an innovative and promising approach to providing high-quality care in a setting that many patients would choose as an option if available. 

Hospital-at-home programs get a thumbs up not only from a majority of patients, but from care providers too, according to a recent report from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that found patients and caregivers overall had positive experiences in the program.

Both of these innovative approaches to patient care have proven their worth. However, the waivers that have supported their expansion are scheduled to expire at the end of this year unless Congress acts.

That is why the AHA has made making these flexibilities permanent or extending them a top advocacy priority when Congress returns for a post-election lame-duck session.

Telehealth Advocacy. The AHA continues to work with Congress and the Administration to enact telehealth reform so that providers can use these services to benefit patients on a permanent basis. We are urging Congress to lift geographic and originating site restrictions, allow Rural Health Clinics and Federally Qualified Health Centers to serve as distant sites, expand practitioners who can provide telehealth, remove in-person visit requirements for behavioral health and allow the continuation of audio-only telehealth services. We also are seeking provisions that would support telehealth for underserved areas; expand the telehealth workforce; and ensure fair and adequate telehealth reimbursement.

Extend the Hospital-at-home Program. More than 300 hospitals offer hospital-at-home programs, and many other hospitals and health systems are interested in developing programs for their communities but are reluctant to do so without more certainty from Congress. The AHA strongly urges lawmakers to protect and expand this important program by passing the Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act (H.R. 8260/S. 4350)  which would extend the hospital-at-home waiver for five years through 2029.

As the health care model continues to transform moving into the future, protecting and expanding the opportunities for great patient care via telehealth and hospital-at-home capabilities is paramount.

The AHA has developed fact sheets on telehealth and the hospital-at-home programs that you can use in your advocacy efforts. Please reach out to your lawmakers and urge them to extend or make permanent these waivers as they are an important part of our efforts to deliver convenient and accessible care as we work to advance health in America. And please see our recent Action Alert for more on these issues and our other advocacy priorities for Congress’ post-election lame-duck session.