Why some health systems say 'hospital at home' not 'worth it'

Why some health systems say 'hospital at home' not 'worth it' unknown

Some health systems have decided that providing hospital-at-home care "might not be worth it," NBC News reported.

While "hospital at home" has exploded in popularity in recent years, particularly since CMS started reimbursing for it, some systems have been reluctant to partake in the trend because the CMS waiver expires at the end of 2024, according to the Feb. 7 story.

"For many hospitals, it seems like it might not be worth it," Nancy Foster, vice president for quality and patient safety policy at the American Hospital Association, told the news outlet. Some commercial payers are also waiting to see what the government decides before deciding whether to reimburse for the care model.

Hospital-at-home leaders told Becker's for a December story that the uncertainty is causing some health systems to take a wait-and-see approach, but most of them expect Congress to extend the reimbursement or make it permanent.

"Would you give up Amazon tomorrow and just go back to department stores?" Michael Maniaci, MD, physician lead for Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic's hospital-at-home program, told Becker's. "The genie's out of the box."