The Future of Telehealth and Hospital-at-Home Programs

On Oct. 18. Rick Pollack, President and CEO, AHA, published a blog on extending telehealth and hospital at home programs.

Pollack wrote, “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”

Further, “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.”

Pollock added that according to a recent report from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, patients and caregivers overall had positive experiences in the program.

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,” he noted.