H.R. 8923119th CongressIn committeeLatest action May 20, 2026Decoded by AI · checked against the record
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A two-year test lets certain hospitals care for Medicare observation patients at home using in-person visits and telehealth instead of a hospital stay.
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This bill creates a two-year test program allowing participating hospitals to monitor and treat certain Medicare patients at home instead of keeping them in the hospital under observation status. Care would be delivered through a mix of in-person visits and telehealth. After the program ends, the Department of Health and Human Services must publish a public report comparing patient outcomes, costs, and care quality between the two approaches.
Medicare patients who would otherwise be placed in hospital observation status are the people this program would affect, meaning adults 65 and older or those with certain qualifying disabilities. Hospitals that choose to apply and meet federal safety standards may also participate.
The report required at the end of the program is meant to give policymakers information to decide whether to make home-based observation care permanent. Any hospital that stops meeting safety and quality standards can be removed from the program.
AI-drafted summary. Verify it against the official text before you act on it. Read the official bill on Congress.gov
Right now: a House committee is reviewing it. If the Senate changes it, it goes back to the House before reaching the President.
Latest action: — Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.