CMS announces home care demonstration
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has announced a new demonstration project that will continue the push to keep patients with chronic conditions in their homes rather than place them in long-term care facilities.
The Independence at Home Demonstration, created by the Affordable Care Act, will test how effective it is to provide primary care services in patients' homes. It could include up to 10,000 beneficiaries and up to 50 practices.
"This program gives new life to the old practice of house calls, but with 21st century technology and a team approach," said CMS Acting Administrator Marilyn Tavenner in a statement announcing the project.
CMS' Innovation Center will work with medical practices lead by physicians or nurse practitioners and associated multidisciplinary teams providing primary care services. The demonstration seeks to learn if in-home care improves health outcomes for Medicare beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions, reduces hospitalizations, improves patient and caregiver satisfaction and reduces costs.
Participation of Medicare beneficiaries is voluntary. Providers participating in the three-year demonstration meeting specified quality measures and generating Medicare savings after meeting a minimum savings requirement may receive incentive payments.
Eligible provider participants are:
• led by doctors or nurse practitioners providing primary care services
• have experience providing home-based primary care to patients with multiple chronic conditions
• will be able to serve at least 200 beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions each year of the demonstration
Demonstration applications and letters of intent are due on Feb. 6.
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