UnityPoint Health is pleased to announce its membership in the Advanced Care at Home (ACH) Coalition. Other notable ACH Coalition members include Mayo Clinic, Kaiser Permanente, Geisinger, and Medically Home. The ACH Coalition brings together stakeholders to create a pathway to coverage for acute care at home services, including the extension of acute care services at home flexibilities beyond the duration of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE). During the COVID-19 pandemic, federal and state governments issued waiver flexibilities that allowed hospitals to provide acute level services to patients at home under certain circumstances. The waiver flexibilities built on the success of previous hospital at home models that have been tested over decades, showing that acute care at home can be a safe, effective way to provide care to patients.
Under the leadership of UnityPoint at Home, UnityPoint Health was one of the initial six systems to be approved for the CMS Acute Hospital Care at Home Program, which has currently been extended to 71 systems and 165 hospitals in 33 states. UnityPoint at Home has also rolled out various Care at Home payment bundles to supplement the Acute Hospital Care at Home program. ACH Coalition participation will enable UnityPoint Health to continue to shine national attention to our nuanced program and advocate for permanent Medicare reimbursement.