House passes bill extending hospital-at-home waiver for 5 years

In a significant win for virtual care proponents, the U.S. House of Representatives has passed legislation that extends the Acute Hospital Care at Home, or AHCAH, waiver through 2030.

The Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act extends the waiver, which suspends certain Medicare Hospital Conditions of Participation for approved hospitals, allowing them to provide hospital-level care in patients' homes. As of Sept. 22,  419 facilities in 39 states had been approved for the waiver.

In addition to extending the waiver, the legislation requires CMS to conduct a new study assessing the quality of care and costs associated with the AHCAH program, comparing it to inpatient care. The study results must be submitted to Congressional committees by Sept. 30, 2028.

"At a time when our health care system is stretched thin, we need solutions like 'Hospital at Home' programs that help patients recover faster and get safe, high-quality care at a lower cost," said the bill's sponsor Rep. Vern Buchanan, vice chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and chair of the Health Subcommittee, in a press release.

Recent research indicates that patients receiving hospital-at-home care were more physically active and strongly preferred it over traditional brick-and-mortar hospital care. 

"With hospitals under strain and chronic disease on the rise, today's unanimous vote to extend this proven model reflects the kind of commonsense, bipartisan action Americans deserve," he continued.

The bill's passage comes shortly after a 43-day government shutdown, during which time hospitals with approved AHCAH waivers were required to discharge or return all hospital-at-home patients to brick-and-mortar facilities. This created significant logistical and operational challenges for hospitals.  

The AHCAH waiver was reinstated along with telehealth flexibilities in mid-November. However, they were only extended through Jan. 30, 2026. 

"This is an important milestone for telehealth and the patients and clinicians benefitting from this efficacious, convenient, and effective solution for delivering patient care where and when it's needed," said Alexis Apple, director of federal affairs at the American Telemedicine Association and head of federal government affairs at ATA Action, in an emailed press release.

"But we are not resting until all temporary telehealth waivers are made permanent -- or at least extended multiple years -- and will continue to work closely with Congressional leadership, the Trump Administration, and other stakeholders to make this a reality," she continued.

Anuja Vaidya has covered the healthcare industry since 2012. She currently covers the virtual healthcare landscape, including telehealth, remote patient monitoring and digital therapeutics.