Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
The At HOME Services Act establishes a two-year demonstration program allowing hospitals to provide outpatient observation services to Medicare beneficiaries in their homes rather than requiring them to come to the hospital. The program grants participating hospitals regulatory waivers and flexibility from certain staffing and facility requirements that normally apply in hospital settings, such as requirements for 24-hour on-site nursing and physical environment standards. Hospitals that participate must maintain the same standard of care for home-based services as they would provide in the hospital, meet patient safety standards set by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and submit data on care quality, costs, and patient outcomes. The Secretary must launch the program within one year of the bill's enactment and conduct a comprehensive study comparing outcomes, costs, readmission rates, and patient demographics between home-based and traditional hospital observation services. A report on the study findings must be published within one year after the program concludes, and relevant data will be made publicly available on Medicare.gov.
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