CMS Approves Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Care at Home Program for Medicare Fee-For-Service Patients
Ascension Saint Thomas is the first health system in Tennessee, and one of the first in the nation, approved to provide Hospital Care at Home to Medicare fee-for-service patients.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, approved the service at Ascension Saint Thomas West and Midtown Hospitals, and Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford.
“Hospital Care at Home allows Ascension Saint Thomas providers to deliver hospital-level care at home, which has proven to be a vital resource as we adapt to challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Tim Adams, president & CEO, Ascension Saint Thomas. “CMS is offering a much-needed expansion of our care offerings and we are grateful to Governor Bill Lee for issuing an executive order further authorizing this new setting for inpatient care. We now have the ability to serve more patients at home while reserving inpatient beds for the sickest patients.”
Ascension Saint Thomas, in partnership with Nashville-based Contessa, was the first health system in Tennessee to introduce home-based hospital care at Ascension Saint Thomas 2019. With Hospital Care at Home, patients receive all the essential elements of inpatient treatment in the comfort and convenience of their homes. If eligible patients choose the program, they begin receiving hospital-level care in their home within hours.
“We applaud CMS for its decision to help healthcare providers more easily expand the delivery of hospital-level care beyond its traditional setting,” said Travis Messina, Contessa CEO. “Our partnership with Ascension Saint Thomas has a proven track record of positive outcomes, including patient opt-in and success. We are thrilled to provide this level of care to Medicare fee-for-service patients, especially as the pandemic continues to grip our industry.”
Hospital Care at Home aligns with Ascension’s Advanced Strategic Direction to reimagine new ways of providing care by making quality care convenient and accessible in the homes of those they serve. This initiative supports Ascension’s Dual Transformation strategy by introducing new innovations that respond to the rapidly evolving healthcare environment by optimizing and transforming core healthcare operations while also creating new, transformational models that provide an engine for growing our ministry and its impact.
