The popular 'hospital-at-home' effort is at stake in the federal spending battle

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: NPR

December 19, 2024 3:11 PM ET


Shane McMahon arrived at a home in Walpole, Massachusetts carrying a bag of medical equipment. He's a paramedic with the hospital-at-home program run by Mass General Brigham. His patient was 91-year-old Stephanie Joseph. "How is she feeling today?" McMahon asked Joseph's daughter, Ketline Edouard, who translated for her Haitian Creole-speaking mom. "She says she's feeling better," Edouard replied.

Joseph has diabetes and recently went to the emergency room because of high blood sugar. After a night there, she was given the option of being part of Mass General Brigham's "Home Hospital" program. "She says way better, more comfortable when she's home," Edouard said on her mom's behalf. "Way better than when she's at the hospital."

There are now 378 hospital at home programs like this in 39 states. These programs began during the pandemic when the federal government provided a waiver allowing Medicaid and Medicare to pay for hospital-level care at patients' homes. The waiver's been extended once. But the current waiver is set to expire on December 31.

A five-year extension of the waiver is included in a spending agreement congress unveiled this week to avert a government shutdown, but Elon Musk and President-elect Donald Trump encouraged Republicans to walk away from that deal Wednesday. It is not clear what will happen next with the stopgap spending measure.

Read more: https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2024/12/19/nx-s1-5234451/hospital-at-home-medicare-medicaid-congress-federal-shutdown

[Faux pas]

1. K n R

[underpants]

2. We have something like that here.

Part of the Bon Secours system. Everything from x-rays to direct screen time with a doctor. Prescriptions sent directly to your it a local pharmacy.

[yellow dahlia]

3. Important article.

Thank you for sharing.

[BumRushDaShow]

4. You are welcome

I didn't realize that this program had been extended. I know a bunch of COVID programs were allowed to expire over the past year or two.

[beveeheart]

5. I got Covid in September. When I called to ask about my symptoms

because I wasn't sure what I had but knew that I was very sick, the nurse told me about the at-home service paired with Kaiser. I was really too sick to get myself to the doctor's office. An EMT Paramedic and a nurse showed up an hour later and confirmed that yes, indeed, it was Covid.
I didn't know about this service, but how convenient and only cost me $35.00.

[greatauntoftriplets]

6. I currently have a stubborn infection that's being treated with antibiotics at home.

A company whose business is supplying the antibiotics and the necessary supplies brings me all the materials once a week. Then I self administer the antibiotics through a PICC line. It's easy and means that I don't have to be hospitalized to get the medication.

It's very easy and it's far better being at home while going through this. The bed is more comfortable, the food is better, and so on.

I'd hate to see programs like this go away. They certainly are more cost effective than getting the antibiotic in a hospital or nursing home.

[mountain grammy]

7. Sounds like a great program.

Elon won’t like it.

[live love laugh]

8. My mother was just told Medicare won't cover remote / phone visits anymore come 2025. it's terrible.

This means her traveling back and forth for care paying parking and gas fees, increasing traffic and jammed waiting rooms all
unnecessarily ....

I hope they rethink this.