Stephen Parodi, MD, highlights bill extending waivers for hospital-at-home programs

Stephen Parodi, MD, executive vice president of The Permanente Federation, was featured in several articles last week that spotlighted the Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act and how it supports the future success of acute-care-at-home programs.

Introduced in the U.S. Senate last week, the bill would extend Acute Care at Home waivers issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for 2 years after the COVID-19 public health emergency ends.

If passed and signed into law, the extension would allow the continuation of treatment for common acute conditions to take place in home settings for Medicare beneficiaries. It would also require CMS to issue regulations that establish health and safety requirements for programs offering acute hospital care at home within one year of the bill’s enactment.

In several news outlets, Dr. Parodi explained how the proposed extension of federal waivers will support the passage of wider adoption of home care services that are designed to improve health outcomes, patient experience, and hospital capacity.

“By extending these flexibilities,” he said in Becker’s Hospital Review, “Congress will create a predictable pathway for medical professionals to fully realize advances in the care delivery system that enable patients to be treated with safe, equitable, and person-centered care in the comfort of their own homes.”

The Advanced Care at Home Coalition, which includes Kaiser Permanente, and more than 100 health care organizations have urged lawmakers to pass the bill. It would offer hope that health systems will have built up capabilities that can continue to provide safe, high-quality care in the comfort of the patient’s home beyond the pandemic.

Note: To read complete coverage on this topic, visit Becker’s Hospital Review, Home Health Care News, and mHealthIntelligence.