WASHINGTON—The United States House of Representatives passed the Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, which extends the Acute Hospital Care at Home (AHCaH) program through 2030.
The benefits of the program include:
- High-quality acute care at home: AHCaH programs deliver 24/7 clinical oversight, continuous remote monitoring and multiple in-person visits each day for eligible patients.
- Improved safety: Patients avoid hospital-acquired infections, delirium and mobility decline, complications that disproportionately affect older adults.
- Rapid emergency response: Hospitals maintain dedicated escalation pathways and rapid-response teams; CMS data shows very low escalation rates.
- Strong diagnostic visibility: Daily in-person assessments supplemented by real-time monitoring provide continuous clinical insight and timely intervention.
- Full clinical infrastructure: Programs provide access to labs, imaging, pharmacy, oxygen and emergency equipment, ensuring hospital-level support at home.
- Reduced caregiver strain: Clinical services are delivered by hospitals, not families.
ATA Action, the advocacy arm of the American Telemedicine Association, released comments on the U.S. House passing the act, saying it is "an important step to avert another lapse of essential care for Medicare patients on January 30, 2026." The ATA Action said it strongly urges the U.S. Senate to quickly pass this legislation to ensure certainty for thousands of patients across the country.
“In a solid show of bipartisan support, the House passed legislation under suspension, to ensure that millions of Medicare beneficiaries will continue to have access a proven care model that reduces complications, shortens recovery times and strengthens bed capacity for patients with life-threatening or complex illness requiring intensive medical care and monitoring,” said Alexis Apple, director, federal affairs at the ATA and head of federal government affairs, ATA Action. “This is a perfect example of how our government should work, to proactively protect the needs of our most vulnerable patients and allow healthcare providers to deliver proven care that has demonstrated strong clinical outcomes, high patient satisfaction and substantial cost savings for the Medicare program.
“The Acute Hospital Care at Home program, in place for over half a decade, has become a critical part of the nation’s care delivery system. More than 330 hospitals across 37 states now rely on AHCaH to safely care for appropriate patients in their homes,” said Apple. “During the recent government shutdown, the AHCaH program was subjected to an unacceptable lapse, making the need for an extension of this length more necessary than ever. Now, it’s up to the Senate to pass this important legislation and send the bill to President Trump for his signature before the January 30, 2026, deadline.”
“We are grateful to our telehealth champions in Congress and the Administration for their forethought and commitment to making essential telehealth and virtual programs a fixture in healthcare delivery," Apple said. "This is an important milestone for telehealth and the patients and clinicians benefitting from this efficacious, convenient, and effective solution for delivering patient care where and when it’s needed. But we are not resting until all temporary telehealth waivers are made permanent—or at least extended multiple years—and will continue to work closely with Congressional leadership, the Trump Administration and other stakeholders to make this a reality."
Telehealth provisions set to expire on Jan. 30, 2026, include:
- Removal of geographic/originating-site restrictions
- Expanded eligible practitioners
- Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) / Rural Health Clinic (RHC) telehealth authority
- Delay of the in-person mental health requirement
- Audio-only telehealth
- Hospice face-to-face encounters