After Congressional Prodding, CMS Announces Independence at Home Program

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Dec. 20 announced the creation of the Independence at Home program, a three-year initiative that will allow up to 10,000 Medicare patients to receive care at home.

The announcement came after Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., sent a letter to Marilyn Tavenner, acting director of CMS, asking that the Independence at Home demonstration project be given higher priority.

The program is included in health care reform and is designed to deliver home-based care to Medicare patients with chronic conditions. It was scheduled to start Jan. 1 as a demonstration project for up to 10,000 beneficiaries and run for three years.

The congressmen said the Independence at Home Program could lower costs among the most ill and expensive Medicare patients, and noted that between 5 and 8 percent of Medicare’s sickest beneficiaries account for about 50 percent of all Medicare health costs.

Details are available at the demonstration program’s website.