June 6, 2025

Welcome to the Moving Health Home newsletter!

In this monthly newsletter, you will find policy developments, research, and updates on how health care organizations are striving to shift more health care delivery into the home – meeting patient needs where they are and expanding access to quality health care.

Please send any news or events to rcheung@movinghealthhome.org for future inclusion in this newsletter.

Moving Health Home Updates

Moving Health Home: MHH Requests the Administration to Pave the Way for More Seniors to Receive Care at Home (5/12) - Care at home achieves so many of the health care priorities of this Administration. Caring for someone outside of an institutional setting promotes cost savings, patient empowerment, better chronic disease management, more effective post-acute rehabilitation, fewer infections, better mental health, less stress for caregivers, and more low-cost capacity in the system. However, there are so many regulatory and statutory barriers. While we work on Capitol Hill to address the legal barriers, there is so much the Trump Administration can do to pave the way for more seniors to receive care at home. MHH identified rules and regulations that, if rescinded, would align Medicare reimbursement for expanded home-based services. MHH believes that removing these barriers will enable innovative, clinical models of care centered around the home.

Moving Health Home Executive Director Featured in Fierce Podnosis - Krista Drobac, executive director of Moving Health Home, joins Fierce Healthcare to outline the policy changes her organization is advocating for in Washington. She discusses efforts to boost reimbursement for remote monitoring, advance SNF-at-home programs, generate stronger evidence for emerging care models and secure an extension of hospital-at-home policies.

Administration

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS): CMS Building Foundational Infrastructure for Digital Healthcare Ecosystem (6/3) - CMS hosted an in-person listening session to discuss the Health Technology Ecosystem Request for Information (RFI) and ways to use the health technology innovations to enhance patient care and promote efficiencies in the health care system. The meeting brought together stakeholders from across the healthcare ecosystem – including patients and caregivers; technology companies, data providers, and networks; health care providers and value-based care organizations; and payers.

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Budget in Brief (5/30) - HHS released its FY 2026 Budget in Brief, providing further details regarding its spending requests to Congress for the fiscal year (FY) 2026. It closely follows President Trump previously released ‘skinny’ budget. The Budget in Brief proposes $94.7 billion in discretionary budget authority for FY 2026. Care at home priorities include:

• Administration for a Healthy America
  
  • $1 billion in nutrition programs for the elderly in home-delivered and congregate meals. These meals play a critical role in providing sufficient nutrition as well as providing crucial social supports to those in their communities
    
• Administration for Children, Families, and Communities (ACFC) 
  • $29.3 billion in discretionary funding for programs that address the social service needs of Americans across the lifespan, including children, families, elders, people with disabilities, and their caregivers
  • $1.1 billion for nutrition programs, which play a critical role in the health of older individuals. The following programs: Prevention Health Services ($26 million), Elder Falls ($3 million), and the Aging Network Support Activities ($30 million) address chronic health issues to allow the elderly to maintain their overall health
  • $246 million for Caregiver and Family Support Services programs. These programs provide services that supports the health, quality of life, and independence of a person close to a caregiver who needs assistance due to age, disability, or chronic health conditions. The programs allow individuals to care for their family members in their own homes as opposed to nursing homes or other institutions if that is their preference.

The Administration for a Healthy America (AHA) and Administration for Children, Families, and Communities (ACFC) full Congressional Justification documents are forthcoming.

CMS: Health Technology Ecosystem Request for Information (5/16) - CMS and the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ASTP/ONC) released a request for information (RFI) seeking input from the public regarding the market of digital health products for Medicare beneficiaries as well as the state of data interoperability and broader health technology infrastructure. Specifically, CMS and ASTP/ONC seek feedback from caregivers, providers, and patients on how to ease health data exchange, promote innovation in consumer digital health products and how HHS can encourage atient, caregiver, and provider engagement with digital health products. Comments are due June 16. 

CMS: Release of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation Strategy (5/13) - The Innovation Center released its three-pronged strategy, which includes priorities on care at home. The strategy will promote evidence-based prevention, empower people to achieve their health goals, and drive choice and competition. The Innovation Center will review home in its model tests and evaluations, such as reviewing days at home for frail beneficiaries, minimizing disease burden for children or seniors, supporting expanded scopes of practice, virtual care, and at-home care so people can receive care more flexibly.

Congress

House of Representatives: Reconciliation Update (5/22) - The House passed its reconciliation package by a vote of 215-214, following revisions to the bill. The amended text makes several changes to Medicaid provisions, including an earlier start date of Medicaid work requirements (from January 1, 2029, to December 31, 2026) and additional financial incentives for states not to expand coverage to people with higher incomes than traditional enrollees. The amended bill also adds a provision to fund ACA cost-sharing reduction payments. The bill now heads to the Senate, where major changes are expected. Several home-based care advocates were disappointed that caregiver policies were not included in this package, including the Lowering Costs for Caregivers Act, the Home Care for Seniors Act and the Credit for Caring Act. More information can be found here.

Research and Polling

Journal of the Post-Acute and Long-Term Medical Association: Transforming Transitional Care: Early Hospital Discharge through the Care at Home Program (6/6) - August University's telemedicine-based Care at Home (CaH) program, which facilitates early discharge, was assessed for its impact on 30-day readmissions, length of hospital stay (LoS), and total charges. CaH yielded comparable 30-day readmission rates while significantly lowering LoS and total costs. Further research should focus on refining patient selection, developing condition-specific protocols, and examining broader applications of telemedicine-driven early discharge models.

Connected Health Collaborative Community: Resources to Advance Hospital-at-Home Programs (6/4) - The Connected Health Collaborative Community (CHcc) released open-source resources to help scale hospital-at-home (HaH) programs. CHcc is co-hosted by the Digital Medicine Society (DiMe) and the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) with UMass Chan Medical School's Program in Digital Medicine as the founding Impact Sponsor.

Journal of Healthcare Management: Meeting Future Demands of Acute Care Through the Home Hospital Care Model (5/30) - Every day, approximately 10,000 Americans reach the age of 65. By 2050, more than 20% of the US population will be at or beyond this milestone. As health care leaders, we must consider what the impact of this reality will be and how we can best prepare to meet it. We must consider the shifting demands and expectations of patients seeking care and implement solutions in the context of the vast and evolving pressures facing our providers, care teams, and facilities.

NEJM Catalyst: Opportunities for Home Cancer Care: The Final Frontier (5/21) - Bringing cancer care to the patient’s home through telemedicine and remote care services, including remote patient monitoring, cancer treatment at home, and hospital-at-home programs, has become an increasingly appealing opportunity to optimize patient experience, access, and value. In this landscape analysis, authors found emerging themes of remote care, including technical infrastructure, state licensure requirements, concerns about reimbursement parity, and institutional culture. Optimal implementation of such care delivery solutions in the home setting will require ongoing research investment, collaborative efforts, reimbursement security, changes in the regulatory and legislative environment, and advocacy.

Journal of Hospital Medicine: Safety in a Hybrid Hospital-at-Home Program vs Traditional Inpatient Care (5/21) - Hospital-at-home programs (HaH) in the United States have evolved to include a virtual-hybrid delivery model, where all physician encounters are virtual and partnered with a home care team. This study aimed to examine whether a virtual hybrid HaH program enabled by technology has similar clinical outcomes to traditional brick-and-mortar (B&M) hospital care. Researchers found patients receiving HaH program care was associated with a higher likelihood of patients reporting feeling extremely comfortable or very comfortable. Findings suggest that a hybrid HaH model is a safe and comfortable alternative to traditional B&M hospital care.

Otsuka: New Report Shows Nearly Half of U.S. States Are on the Threshold of a Caregiving Emergency (5/20) – This study analyzed a multitude of factors at the state level to assess how differing demographics; health care infrastructures and economic conditions impact unpaid family caregivers. Key findings show the equivalent value of labor generated by unpaid family caregivers surpasses the economic value generated by cornerstone industries, the epidemic of unpaid family caregiving is increasing, and caregiving is especially challenging in states with more rural communities.

Health Affairs Forefront: Creating A Pathway To Scale Up Acute Hospital Care At Home (5/12) - Short-duration waiver extensions and uncertainty about the future of Acute Hospital Care at Home (AHCaH) have undermined confidence in the initiative and limited its growth. To extend the well-documented benefits of Hospital-at-Home (HaH) to many more patients in the years ahead, it is essential that Congress extend the AHCaH model for at least three years and establish quality, cost, and program integrity criteria that would create a pathway to permanence. Now is the time for policy makers, payers, health systems, and clinicians to act decisively by extending AHCaH, evaluating the model, and identifying best practices to build a scalable framework to support the expansion of HaH programs nationwide.

Milken Institute: The Future of Connected Care: Enabling Healthy Longevity and Aging at Home (5/4) - This report outlines six building blocks for action to accelerate progress toward a robust connected care ecosystem, enabling healthy longevity and aging well at home. Report recommendations include centering the needs and preferences of older adults, establishing the infrastructure and shared frameworks to validate and link connected care solutions, and enabling widespread adoption through improved access, integration, and financing.

University of Michigan: National Poll on Healthy Aging (5/1) -In August 2024, the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging asked a national sample of adults age 50 and older about their experiences with and views on planning and preferences for long-term care. Over half of older adults preferred receiving care in their home with family/friend caregivers. Additionally, older adults felt more confident about being able to pay for care in their home versus in a nursing home.

News and Market Developments

McKnights Home Care: Lucet Acquires Emcara Health, Advancing Home-Based Behavioral Care Capabilities (6/6) - Lucet, a technology-enabled behavioral health care company, acquired Emcara Health, a value-based medical group that specializes in home care services for complex populations. The combined entities plan to begin piloting integrated care models in markets they share. This includes behavioral health assessments, care coordination and both in-home and virtual care visits.

Modern Healthcare: HarmonyCares CEO Bets CMS Innovation Will Favor In-Home Care (5/28) - HarmonyCares CEO Matt Chance said that CMMI's strategy aligns with its plans to move primary care into the home. HarmonyCares is a Michigan-based company delivers home-based primary care to people with complex conditions through value-based care arrangements with Medicare Advantage plans and accountable care organizations. HarmonyCares and a growing number of providers, including WellBe Senior Medical, Patina Health and CenterWell Primary Care, are expanding across the U.S and pushing more care into the home.

Home Health Care News: How Home-Based Care Providers Navigate Complex ALS Patient Care Landscape (5/28) - In-home care can be the most preferred option for patients with progressive diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Maxim Healthcare Services, provides skilled nursing, personal care, respite care, behavioral health and physical rehabilitation for individuals with chronic and acute illnesses and disabilities. Their patients have been most comfortable at home. "...Skilled nursing in the home allows them to live a life as close to normal as possible, in what I believe to be a healthier, more caring environment.”

D Magazine: Amid Uncertainty, Texas Health Is Leaning Into Hospital at Home (5/20) - Texas Health Resources announced an expansion of its hospital-at-home program to Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southlake, allowing qualifying patients within a 25-mile radius of the hospital to receive inpatient care in the comfort of their homes. The Southlake hospital is the sixth such facility in the Texas Health network to launch care at home, bucking trends that have seen health systems around the country close their programs.

NJBIZ: Health Care Moves Beyond Hospital with Virtual, Home Care (5/19): Driven by growing demand for convenience, accessibility and cost-effective models that do not compromise quality, health care institutions are meeting patient needs with services outside of traditional settings. One of the most significant changes is the rise of telehealth and virtual care, according to Hackensack Meridian Health Chief Physician Executive Dr. Daniel Varga. “Hospitals are now offering virtual consultations, allowing patients to connect with health care providers from the comfort of their homes,” he explained. “This approach not only saves time and reduces transportation costs but also ensures that patients receive timely medical advice.”

Becker’s Health IT: How Health Valley Health System is Building Hospital at Home (5/19) - CMS granted the health system a waiver in March to provide acute hospital care at home out of The Valley Hospital, located in Paramus. Valley Health System plans to launch hospital at home in July.

HealthLeaders: Giving the Hospital at Home Strategy a Pediatric Spin (5/16) - Atrium Health’s Levine Children's Hospital has launched the first Hospital at Home program in the country that focuses on children and their families. Atrium Health’s Levine Children’s Hospital has treated about 50 children in a pediatric Hospital at Home program launched earlier this year. While similar to adult-based programs, the pediatric model emphasizes family-based care, with extra steps to ensure the home environment is appropriate and the family plays a part in care management.

McKnights Home Care: California System Reports Success with Advanced Care at Home Pilot Program (5/14) - Kaiser Permanente Northern California’s test of an Advanced Care at Home (ACAH) pilot program delivered lower rates of acute care visits. The ACAH program combines physician care, telehealth monitoring, mobile imaging and support from an interdisciplinary care team to care for patients who are eligible for a hospital visit in their home setting. Patients can be discharged to ACAH from the hospital or opt directly into the program without experiencing a hospital stay.

Lee Health: Cape Hospital now offers ‘Hospital at Home’ (5/9) - Lee Health has announced the second phase of its “Hospital at Home” program, in Cape Coral. Hospital at Home allows qualifying patients to receive hospital-level care from the comfort of their own home. Lee Health first launched the program in November of 2024 at Gulf Coast Medical Center. Since its inception, 140 patients have been admitted to the program.

Modern Healthcare: How DispatchHealth’s CEO Plans to Change the Face of In-Home Care (5/7) - DispatchHealth CEO Jennifer Webster said the company is eyeing new markets and care models after its acquisition of hospital-at-home provider Medically Home is complete. Denver-based DispatchHealth announced a definitive agreement in mid-March to acquire Boston-based Medically Home.

Upcoming Events

June 11, Alliance for Connected Care, "The Time Is Now: Modernizing Care Through Remote Monitoring." 

June 9-11, Hospital@Home Leadership Summit, "Accelerate the Impact of Hospital at Home Nationwide." 

June 30-July 1, RISE, "The RISE of Home Care Summit." 

July 1-2, CMS, "Quality Conference." Sessions on Hospital at Home and Boarding in Emergency Departments.

September 15-17, Home Health Care News, "FUTURE Conference." 

December 3-5, Hospital @ Home Leadership Summit, "Embracing the Future of Healthcare."

Previous Events, Videos, and Podcasts

Fierce Healthcare, "Podnosis: What’s next for tech-enabled home care? A look at the policy road ahead." At-home care is gaining momentum as patients seek more convenient options and hospitals face mounting capacity challenges. Krista Drobac, executive director of Moving Health Home, outlines the policy changes her organization is advocating for in Washington. She discusses efforts to boost reimbursement for remote monitoring, advance SNF-at-home programs, generate stronger evidence for emerging care models and secure an extension of hospital-at-home policies.

McKnights Home Care: "Newsmakers Podcast: Dombi: Washington cost-cutting may lead to new scrutiny of hospice rates." Home care providers are “anxious” about the situation in Washington, DC, William Dombi, senior counsel at the law firm Arnall Golden Gregory, told McKnight’s Home Care in a Newsmakers podcast. There is a concern that this period will usher in a rebasing of hospice payment rates — similar to what happened to home health with the introduction of the Affordable Care Act, said Dombi who retired as president emeritus of the National Alliance for Care at Home last year.

Home Health Care News, "Disrupt Podcast: Margaret Haynes, President and CEO, Right At Home." Home Health Care News caught up with Margaret Haynes, the President and CEO of Right At Home. During the conversation, Haynes discusses Right at Home’s priorities for growth, how home care and home health providers work together symbiotically and the innovations necessary to address caregiver supply challenges.

Working Nation, "Work in Progress: As the population ages, the U.S. home caregiving system is tipping toward a crisis." In this episode of the Work in Progress podcast, we're talking about the critical role paid and unpaid home caregiving workers play in our society, and the economic, physical, and emotional toll they face on a daily basis. Importantly, we talk about what can be done to support them as they support us. Listen to this conversation with Paul Irving, a senior advisor to the Milken Institute to discuss the documentary Caregiving from executive producer Bradley Cooper.

Please subscribe to this newsletter and send any news or events to rcheung@movinghealthhome.org for inclusion in this newsletter.