BALTIMORE (December 15, 2020)—The American Academy of Home Care Medicine (Academy) has expressed concerns that the Medicare cuts beginning in 2021 threaten care for patients receiving primary care in their homes when they are being encouraged to stay home to stay safe. The Academy strongly disagrees with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ decision in the CY 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule to cut payments for home-based primary care (HBPC) visits by 8%-10%.
"We are concerned about the risk to access to primary care services for elderly, chronically ill patients and the sustainability of HBPC practices," said Theresa Soriano, MD, MPH, President, AAHCM.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, home-based care interdisciplinary teams or providers have demonstrated the ability to limit exposure risk for these vulnerable populations while continuing to provide them with necessary and appropriate care services using telemedicine and advanced, point-of-service testing and monitoring technologies.
The Academy supports—as a short-term fix—current legislation under consideration, which would postpone the cuts finalized in the 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. Amidst a pandemic, when chronically ill seniors are safest at home, the Academy urges policymakers to actively promote home-based medical care with an increase in payment, rather than a cut.
"The time has come to protect seniors and shift care into the home, where people want to be, with their families and loved ones," said Soriano.
In a press release the Academy expressed appreciation for the work that policymakers have done to support HBPC providers in doing what they do best—caring for patients in their time of need. To continue providing access and quality of care to the sickest, frailest, most vulnerable home limited beneficiaries, the Academy urged providers must work together to address the 8%-10% cuts and fully support patient care in the home.
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