At HOME Services Act

The At HOME Services Act establishes a two-year demonstration program allowing hospitals to provide outpatient observation services to Medicare beneficiaries in their own homes. To make this possible, the bill grants hospitals specific waivers that exempt them from standard requirements for on-site nursing staff and physical facility safety codes, while also permitting care to be delivered from the patient's residence. Participating hospitals must agree to maintain the same standard of care as inpatient treatment, adhere to patient safety standards, and share data with the government to monitor quality and costs. The legislation also mandates a study comparing the quality, costs, and outcomes of home-based care against traditional hospital settings, with results to be published on a public website.