Extension of Acute Hospital Care at Home initiative

With respect to inpatient hospital admissions occurring during the period beginning on the first day after the end of the emergency period described in section 1320b–5(g)(1)(B) of this title and ending on September 30, 2030, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall grant waivers and flexibilities (as described in paragraph (2)) to an individual hospital that submits a request for such waivers and flexibilities and meets specified criteria (as described in paragraph (3)) in order to participate in the Acute Hospital Care at Home initiative of the Secretary. For the purposes of paragraph (1), the waivers and flexibilities described in this paragraph are the following waivers and flexibilities that were made available to individual hospitals under the Acute Hospital Care at Home initiative of the Secretary during the emergency period described in section 1320b–5(g)(1)(B) of this title: For purposes of paragraph (1), the specified criteria for granting such waivers and flexibilities to individual hospitals are: The hospital shall provide to the Secretary, at a time, form and manner determined by the Secretary, any data and information the Secretary determines necessary to do the following: The Secretary may terminate a hospital from participation in such initiative (and the waivers and flexibilities applicable to such hospital) if the Secretary determines that the hospital no longer meets the criteria described in paragraph (3). The Secretary shall conduct a study to— analyze and compare, to the extent practicable— Not later than September 30, 2024, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall post on a website of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services a report on the study conducted under paragraph (1). In addition to amounts otherwise available, there is appropriated to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Program Management Account for fiscal year 2023, out of any amounts in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $5,000,000, to remain available until expended, for purposes of carrying out this section. Not later than September 30, 2029, the Secretary shall conduct a study to— analyze and compare (both within and between hospitals participating in the initiative, and relative to comparable hospitals that do not participate in the initiative, for relevant parameters such as diagnosis-related groups)— In conducting the study under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall, to the extent practicable, analyze and compare individuals who participate and do not participate in the initiative controlling for selection bias or other factors that may impact the reliability of data. Not later than September 30, 2029, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall— In addition to amounts otherwise available, there is appropriated to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Program Management Account for fiscal year 2026, out of any amounts in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $2,500,000, to remain available until expended, for purposes of carrying out this section. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary may implement this section by program instruction or otherwise. The Secretary shall, as feasible, make the information collected under subsections (a)(3)(E), (b)(1), and (c)(1) available on the Medicare.gov internet website (or a successor website).