Up to 10,000 Medicare patients with chronic conditions will now be able to get primary medical care at home under a new demonstration announced by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
 
Created by the Affordable Care Act, the new Independence at Home Demonstration will provide chronically ill patients with a complete range of primary care services, CMS announced.  Participation in the Demonstration is voluntary for Medicare beneficiaries.
 
CMS will join with medical practices to test the effectiveness of delivering primary care services in a home setting on improving care for Medicare beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions.  Medical practices led by physicians or nurse practitioners will provide primary care home visits tailored to the needs of beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions and functional limitations.
 
The Demonstration will reward health care providers that show a reduction in Medicare expenditures through an incentive payment if they succeed in providing high-quality care while reducing costs. CMS said it will use quality measures to ensure beneficiaries experience high quality care.
 
Medical practices eligible to participate in the demonstration must include physicians or nurse practitioners who have experience delivering home-based primary care.  Up to 50 practices will be selected and each must serve at least 200 Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions and functional limitations.  Practices in the demonstration will be responsible for coordinating patient care with other health and social service professionals.