CMMI Director Touts Value of Home Health

In a hearing before the Senate Finance Committee last week, CMS’ Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) Director, Dr. Richard Gilfillan, was the sole witness at a recent Senate Finance Committee hearing on ways to reform Medicare and Medicaid.  In his written testimony and during the hearing, Dr. Gilfillan sited the value of home healthcare in new delivery models for Medicare and Medicaid.

He further described how demonstration programs involving home health are working to improve outcomes and reduce Medicare costs.

In his written testimony, he states:

“Innovation Center initiatives include the Independence at Home Demonstration, created by the Affordable Care Act, which uses home-based primary care teams designed to improve health outcomes and reduce expenditures for Medicare beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions. Under the Independence at Home Demonstration, selected primary care practices will provide home-based primary care to targeted chronically ill beneficiaries for a three-year period. Participating practices will make in-home visits tailored to an individual patient’s needs and preferences with the goal of keeping them from being hospitalized.”

Click here to see the video recording of the hearing.