CMS Launches ACA Independence at Home Demonstration
On December 21, 2011, CMS published a notice establishing the Independence at Home (IAH) Demonstration, as authorized by the ACA. The IAH Demonstration will test a service delivery model that uses primary care teams to provide services to high-cost, chronically ill Medicare beneficiaries in their homes. CMS will select up to 50 multi-disciplinary practices, which will be accountable for providing comprehensive care to high-need populations at home and coordinating health care across all treatment settings. Participating practices may share in demonstration savings if specified quality measures and savings targets are achieved. Each participating practice must provide services to at least 200 applicable beneficiaries during each year of the demonstration. Applicable beneficiaries are defined as Medicare fee-for-service patients who have at least 2 chronic illnesses, need assistance with 2 or more functional dependencies requiring the assistance of another person, have had a nonelective hospital admission within the last 12 months, and have received acute or subacute rehabilitation services within the last 12 months. Participating practices will make in-home visits tailored to an individual patient’s needs. Each practice must be available 24 hours per day, 7 days a week to carry out plans of care, and practices must use electronic health information systems, remote monitoring, and mobile diagnostic technology. Applications will be accepted until February 6, 2012.
