STAT+: Patients set to lose hospital care at home if government funding isn’t extended

Mario Aguilar specializes in healthcare technology, covering advancements such as artificial intelligence, wearable devices, telehealth, and more. His insights delve into how these innovations impact healthcare practices and the associated policy hurdles. He co-authors the free, bi-weekly STAT Health Tech newsletter. You can contact Mario via Signal at mariojoze.13.

WASHINGTON — In the event of a government funding lapse by Tuesday’s deadline, patients receiving hospital-level care in their homes will be forced back into traditional hospital settings.

The Acute Hospital Care at Home initiative permits Medicare to relax specific regulations, enabling hospitals to provide inpatient care within patients’ residences. This program originated due to the COVID-19 pandemic and, like countless other Medicare and Medicaid initiatives, relies on renewal through government funding bills.

The cessation of the hospital-at-home program would have immediate and serious repercussions for patient care. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued guidance to hospitals in the program, warning that without Congressional intervention, “all inpatients must be discharged or returned to the hospital by September 30, 2025.”