It's Here: CMS' Avoiding Hospital Admissions Initiative

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced the Initiative to Reduce Avoidable Hospitalizations among Nursing Facility Residents, a new effort designed to improve care for people living in nursing facilities who are enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid.


Through this initiative, CMS will partner with independent organizations to improve care for long-stay nursing facility residents. These organizations will collaborate with nursing facilities and States to provide coordinated, person-centered care with the goal of reducing avoidable hospital stays.

Eligible organizations can include physician practices, care management organizations, and other public and not-for-profit entities. Applicants will propose an intervention that meets the objectives of the initiative, which those selected will then implement. All enhanced care & coordination providers in this initiative must:

• Hire staff who maintain a physical presence at nursing facilities and partner with nursing facility staff to implement preventive services;
• Work in cooperation with existing providers;
• Facilitate residents’ transitions to and from inpatient hospitals and nursing facilities;
• Provide support for improved communication and coordination among existing providers; and
• Coordinate and improve management and monitoring of prescription drugs, including psychotropic drugs.