WASHINGTON, D.C. – Maintaining access to a more convenient and cost-effective avenue of health care delivery as well as ensuring that the ongoing shift to digital quality reporting measures do not unduly burden providers is at the heart of two pieces of legislation recently approved by the Ways and Means Committee. H.R. 4313, the Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act – introduced by Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Chairman Vern Buchanan (FL-16) and Representative Dwight Evans (PA-03) – ensures that Medicare’s Hospital-at-Home Initiative is able to continue supporting the delivery of health care services to seniors in the comfort and convenience of their homes. During the same markup, the Committee also passed H.R. 5347, the Healthcare Efficiency Through Flexibility Act – also introduced by Health Subcommittee Chairman Buchanan (FL-16) in partnership with Representative Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) – that provides more stability and flexibility to health care providers, including Accountable Care Organizations, as they work to transition to digital quality reporting measures. Both bills received unanimous bipartisan approval.
Organizations championing the needs of patients and providers have praised the Committee’s work to safeguard access to a proven home health care delivery model and a stable transition to electronic medical record keeping – including 150 organizations that have pledged their support for the Hospital-at-Home Initiative.
Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act (H.R. 4313)
Preserves seniors’ access to vital Hospital-at-Home Initiative services and includes a comprehensive study to measure the program’s cost and quality relative to in-hospital, inpatient care.
Federation of American Hospitals
“We write to express our support for the Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act (H.R. 4313). Since its inception, the Acute Hospital Care at Home (AHCaH) waiver has been extended multiple times with bipartisan support.” – Federation of American Hospitals
American Hospital Association
“A long-term extension of the H@H waiver would not only provide additional time to continue gathering data on quality improvement, cost savings and patient experience but would also provide much-needed stability for patients and providers.” – American Hospital Association
Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC) Action
“On behalf of AMAC Action, the advocacy affiliate of the Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC), with over 2 million members nationwide, I write to express our strong support for your bipartisan legislation, the Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act.” – Andrew J. Mangione, Senior Vice President, AMAC Action
American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
“AARP strongly supports policies that continue to give older adults the option to receive certain hospital care in their own homes.” – Bill Sweeney, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, AARP
Bipartisan Policy Center Action
“The Acute Hospital Care at Home (AHCAH) Model allows certain Medicare patients to receive hospital-level inpatient care at home, alleviating pressure on the hospital workforce and improving health outcomes for patients.” – Bipartisan Policy Center Action
Advanced Care at Home Coalition
“The long-term extension envisioned in H.R. 4313 would deliver the stability and predictability necessary for providers and plans to scale programs to sustainable levels, while also allowing for increased provider and patient participation, enhanced data collection, continued spreading of best practices, and improved access to underserved populations and to new geographic locations, as work continues toward a permanent program.” – Advanced Care at Home Coalition
Moving Health Home
“On behalf of Moving Health Home, we are writing in support of your focus on a long-term extension of hospital-at-home through the markup of the Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act (H.R. 4313).” – Krista Drobac, Executive Director, Moving Health Home
ATA Action
“On behalf of ATA Action, the affiliated trade organization of the American Telemedicine Association, thank you for holding a markup on critical legislation including H.R. 4313, the Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, and H.R. 5343, the Ensuring Patient Access to Critical Breakthrough Products Act. These bipartisan bills represent important steps toward expanding access to care and medical innovation for Medicare beneficiaries.” – Kyle Zebley, Executive Director, ATA Action
Epic
“The bipartisan Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act promotes innovation and extends key flexibilities for hospital-at-home care.” – Epic
Healthcare Efficiency Through Flexibility Act (H.R. 5347)
Ensures stability in health care quality measure reporting methods, providing certainty and flexibility for smaller provider practices, and creates a digital quality measures pilot program to prepare Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) to modernize reporting and test best practices in quality measurement reporting.
The National Association of Accountable Care Organizations (NAACOS)
“The National Association of ACOs (NAACOS) commends the House Ways & Means Committee for considering the Health Care Efficiency Through Flexibility Act, which eases the regulatory burden on accountable care organizations (ACOs) while preserving the focus on improving patient care.” – NAACOS
America’s Physician Group
“America’s Physician Groups (APG) welcomes and salutes your introduction of the proposed ‘’Health Care Efficiency Through Flexibility Act,’ which would grant greater flexibility than in current law in the types of quality measures that Medicare Shared Savings Plan Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) must submit to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for performance years 2025-2029.” – Susan Dentzer, President and CEO, America’s Physician Group
Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC) Action
“On behalf of AMAC Action, the advocacy affiliate of the Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC), with over 2 million members nationwide, I write to offer our strong support for your bipartisan legislation, H.R. 5347, the Healthcare Efficiency Through Flexibility Act.” – Andrew J. Mangione, Senior Vice President, AMAC Action
Accountable for Health
“Accountable for Health urges Congress to advance this legislation and support policies that reduce administrative burden, strengthen participation in accountable care, and ensure a smooth pathway toward digital quality reporting.” – Marc McDermott, CEO, Accountable for Health
Epic
“The Health Care Efficiency Through Flexibility Act recognizes that small practices have difficulties reporting quality measures and provides ACOs with pathways to continue to fulfill their value-based care objectives.” – Epic
Medisolv
“H.R. 5347 represents the type of thoughtful, evidence-based reform that will advance value-based care while reducing unnecessary administrative complexity. Medisolv urges Congress to pass this important legislation and continue supporting the transition to more efficient, digital-first quality measurement systems.” – Dave Lucey, CEO, Medisolv
Aledade “Aledade supports the Health Care Efficiency Through Flexibility Act and appreciates the sponsors’ efforts to ensure the Medicare Shared Savings Program has an effective and efficient system for ensuring high quality care for Medicare beneficiaries.” – Aledade