Independence at Home Act of 2019

Independence at Home Act of 2019

This bill establishes a permanent Independence at Home Medical Practice Program for Medicare beneficiaries. Under the program, a primary care practice shall be accountable for (1) providing comprehensive, coordinated, continuous, and accessible care to applicable Medicare beneficiaries at home; and (2) coordinating health care across all treatment settings.

Subject to meeting specified quality performance standards, a participating practice is eligible to receive an incentive payment under the program if actual expenditures for applicable beneficiaries are less than the estimated spending target established by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

The CMS shall terminate a program agreement with a participating practice if the practice (1) for the third of three consecutive years under the program, did not achieve savings; or (2) fails to meet a minimum number of quality performance standards established by the CMS.

The bill extends the existing Independence at Home Medical Practice Demonstration Program pending implementation of the permanent program. In addition, the bill removes the limit on the number of beneficiaries that may participate in the demonstration program.