CMS AHCaH Waiver Boosts Hospital at Home: RPM Solutions Thrive

Inside Health Policy

CMS recently unveiled data from its Acute Hospital Care at Home (AHCaH) waiver program, spanning November 2020 to March 2023, demonstrating positive outcomes for Medicare beneficiaries. The waiver enables hospitals to provide in-patient level care at home, resulting in low rehospitalization rates and few unexpected deaths, according to CMS' analysis in November 2023. A Mass Brigham Health study further highlighted reduced skilled nursing facility use among patients with complex conditions. Vivalink, advocating for the program's continuation, emphasizes the financial model supporting its remote physiologic monitoring solution. This technology, such as electrocardiogram (ECG), offers real-time vital sign monitoring, crucial for at-home hospital care. Vivalink's Chief Marketing Officer, Sam Liu, notes the waiver's role in sustaining reimbursement technologies, vital for healthcare providers adopting high acuity RPM. Despite uncertainty about the waiver's future, hospital systems express commitment to sustaining at-home programs even without its support.

Click here to read the complete interview .