In-home senior care program saved Medicare $25M

A program that uses house calls to treat seniors with multiple chronic conditions saved Medicare $25 million in its first year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced.

The three-year program, called the Independence at Home Demonstration, requires participating primary care practices to "make in-home visits tailored to an individual patient's needs and coordinate their care," according to a CMS fact sheet.

"This is a great common sense way for Medicare beneficiaries to get better quality care with smarter spending from Medicare," CMS Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt said in the announcement.