Why hospital-at-home programs could see big growth | ViVE 2026

Los Angeles - Some health systems have launched hospital-at-home programs in the past few years, but while the pace of growth has been steady, it hasn’t exactly been meteoric.

But now there is optimism that more health systems will begin launching programs to offer acute care at home. Congress and President Trump extended Medicare waivers for home hospital programs into 2030 as part of a federal spending package approved this month.

Analysts say that some hospitals have been reluctant to implement programs due to uncertainty of ongoing federal support. But Dr. Shiv Sutaria, assistant chief medical information officer for Mass General Brigham Healthcare at Home, says he expects more home hospital programs nationwide.

“It’s going to be, I think, a monumental shift in how healthcare systems and tech companies think about home hospital,” Sutaria tells Chief Healthcare Executive®.

“​​I am pretty sure the number is going to skyrocket in the next few years,” he says.

Waiting for commitment

Sutaria says he has heard firsthand from health systems who said they wanted to see what happens with federal policy before moving forward. For more than a year, telehealth waivers, which include hospital-at-home programs, were tied to short-term spending bills. During the government shutdown last fall, health systems were directed to transfer home hospital patients back to the hospital.

Before standing up a home hospital program, health systems have sought assurance that they would have the backing of the government.

“People were just waiting on the sideline the last two years, at least, waiting to see if they wanted to commit to this,” Sutaria says. “And now having a five-year waiver, we have a long runway. So I'm looking forward to seeing more hospital home programs open up.”

Mass General Brigham built one of the nation’s first hospital-at-home programs, and the system now typically offers acute care at home to 50 or 60 patients per day, Sutaria says.

Nearly 400 hospitals have been approved to operate hospital-at-home programs, according to data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Under federal guidelines, patients in hospital-at-home programs must be seen in person at least twice per day, and they routinely see doctors and other clinicians virtually as well.

In addition to predicting more hospitals will begin new home hospital programs, Sutaria expects health systems that have already established those programs will consider expanding them.

“I would not be surprised to see existing programs growing their footprint further, opening up more in their other branches, satellite locations,” Sutaria says.

Researchers have found good results with hospital-at-home programs, with low mortality rates and a low percentage of people needing to be readmitted to brick-and-mortar hospitals.

Sutaria and other leaders of hospital-at-home programs point to a number of advantages for patients. Those being treated at home typically get much more rest than patients in hospitals. They have family with them, and patients generally feel much more comfortable at home.

Longer hospital stays become more problematic for older patients, Sutarian notes.

“The longer patients stay in the hospital, the longer their recovery is, the more deconditioned they get,” he says. “Our elderly patient population is at a very high risk for delirium and cognitive issues with long stays in the hospital.”

Patients at home can also get a boost in their recovery from pets, he notes.

“Just seeing patients with a smile on their face, with a pet in their lap, you can't get that kind of therapy, that type of mental therapy, in the hospital,” Sutaria says.

‘People really like it’

John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General Hospital, tells Chief Healthcare Executive® that he’s very enthusiastic about hospital-at-home programs. In an interview at ViVE, Couris says that the home hospital program has seen good results, with lower readmission rates than physical hospitals.

“Hospital at home produces better results. It's less expensive, and people really like it,” Couris says.

“We're taking care of transplant patients and getting them out of the hospital and into their home a week earlier. In some cases, we're taking care of very complex oncology patients so they don't have to stay in the hospital. They can be in the comfort of their own homes,” Couris says.

Couris and other hospital leaders say staff who work in hospital-at-home programs have high satisfaction.

“A lot of times, what most of them tell you is, it's allowing me to do what I went to school for. It allows me to spend more time with the patient, more time with the family,” Couris says.

In addition to more certainty at the federal level, Sutaria is seeing better technology that can also spur more expansion of home hospital programs.

“I think there's a whole bunch of people with really good products that are going to be out there, and the market's going to get better,” Sutaria says. “So that means the product in the market will be better, and that's going to allow us to be able to take care of higher acuity patients and provide them with higher care.”