Creator: Patrick Connole
Smith, Dingell Propose New Bill to Bring SNF Care Home
New bipartisan legislation proposes to open skilled care coverage options for Medicare beneficiaries at home.
Reps. Adrian Smith (R-Neb.) and Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) have introduced the Bringing Rehabilitation, Integrated Delivery, and Greater Extended (BRIDGE) Care at Home Act to provide Medicare beneficiaries with greater flexibility to access skilled nursing services at home after a qualifying hospital stay.
The bipartisan duo said the point of the bill is to give Medicare beneficiaries more options. Dingell said across the country there is a shortage of beds in SNFs for patients needing post-hospital short-term care, which results in extended stays in the hospital instead.
"This shortage of care impacts both the wishes and care of Medicare patients, and the care of all other patients across hospitals," she said.
The bill would create a five-year Medicare SNF-at-Home pilot program, allowing beneficiaries to receive skilled nursing services at home instead of at a SNF. The program would empower providers to develop new models of care, expand options for patients, and reduce pressure on hospitals and SNFs, the lawmakers said.
The bill also directs the Dept. of Health and Human Services Secretary to compare the quality, outcomes, costs, and patient characteristics of beneficiaries who receive skilled nursing care at home with those who receive it in a facility over the course of the program’s five-year period.
Click here to read the full text of the bill.
Comments or questions? Contact Patrick Connole at pconnole@parkplacelive.com.
