Ensures 23 Florida Hospitals Can Continue Acute Hospital Care at Home
WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman Vern Buchanan, Chair of the Health Subcommittee on Ways and Means, announced that he introduced the Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act alongside Reps. Lloyd Smucker (R-Pa.) and Dwight Evans (D-Pa.). Senators Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) introduced companion legislation in the Senate. This bipartisan legislation would enable hospitals to extend successful “Hospital at Home” programs for an additional five years.
In November 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) established the Acute Hospital Care at Home waiver to provide hospitals with increased flexibility to care for certain patients from the comfort and convenience of their homes, rather than in a hospital setting. According to the American Hospital Association, this model has been proven to “reduce costs, improve outcomes and enhance the patient experience.”
“Our nation is getting sicker and sicker, but programs like ‘Hospital at Home’ allow us to treat patients more efficiently while delivering high-quality care at a lower cost,” said Buchanan. “Home health services are especially crucial for the nearly 200,000 seniors in my district. The Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act would ensure that more than 200 hospitals across 34 states, including 23 in Florida, can continue participating in this program and provide quality care to those in need. We must ensure this life-changing model remains available for years to come.”
A recent report from CMS shows that allowing patients to be treated in a more familiar environment and routine accelerates recovery time, lowers the mortality rate and reduces the risk of hospital-acquired infections and falls. This legislation would extend the current hospital-at-home waiver program through 2030, allowing hospitals to continue participating and providing quality care to patients.
Buchanan’s bill also requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and CMS to conduct a comprehensive study comparing home-based care and inpatient care across several key criteria, including care quality, rates of infection, hospital readmission and levels of satisfaction among patients and their caregivers. Based on the findings of this evaluation, CMS would then be directed to issue formal health and safety regulations to govern the program moving forward.
“The American healthcare system must evolve to meet the needs of the patients in the 21st century,” said Senator Scott. “Hospital-at-home care provides better outcomes for patients while reducing costs. This legislation ensures that successful programs like this can continue to serve families across South Carolina and the nation.”
“This legislation is about protecting access to quality health care, lowering costs for patients, and improving the health and well-being of our family and neighbors,” said Senator Warnock. “I will always work to lower costs and increase health care access for Georgians, and I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan effort.”
“Innovative care models, like delivering acute care through Hospital at Home, provide patients high-quality care at lower costs. Extending this commonsense policy is a clear win for both patients and taxpayers. Hospital systems across my district have successfully used Hospital at Home to care for patients safely and effectively. Congress should come together again to extend these provisions and give more patients the flexibility to receive acute care and recover comfortably in their own homes,” said Rep. Smucker.
“The Hospital at Home program has been working for patients of Redeemer Health in the Philadelphia area, and for patients of other health systems across the country. I’m happy to partner with my Ways and Means Committee colleague to continue, improve and expand this program that helps a lot of people,” said Rep. Evans.
The legislation is supported by the American Hospital Association.
“America's hospitals and health systems see hospital-at-home programs as a safe and innovative way to care for patients in the comfort of their homes. This legislation will provide additional time to continue gathering data and will also provide much needed stability for new and existing programs. The AHA thanks Reps. Buchanan and Evans for their strong leadership and dedication to extend the hospital-at-home model for five years,” said Lisa Kidder Hrobsky, Senior Vice President for Advocacy and Political Affairs, American Hospital Association.
Buchanan has been a leading advocate in Congress for improving Americans’ health and care. Buchanan recently introduced the FORCE-FIT Act (H.R. 3750), which would establish a pilot program in the Department of Defense to provide access to Continuous Glucose Monitoring Systems (CGMs) for servicemembers with certain health conditions to track metabolic health data. In March 2025, Buchanan’s Chronic Disease Flexible Coverage Act (H.R. 919), which expands treatment options provided through employers’ healthcare coverage for Americans living with chronic diseases, passed the House with a unanimous bipartisan vote. In February 2025, Buchanan introduced two bills to promote preventive health: the Permanent Telehealth from Home Act (H.R. 1407) to remove obstructive geographic limitations to telehealth services and the Lung Cancer Screening and Prevention Act (H.R. 1406) to help ensure timely access to advanced screenings for lung cancer.
###
