CMS proposes a new annual Acute Hospital Care at Home reporting requirement, comments close October 26
Oct 11, 2026 edition · GC-2026-0010 · Published 2026-10-11 · Version 3 · Proposed
CMS is seeking approval for a new annual hospital-at-home data collection, with comments due October 26. The proposal would describe the quantity, intensity and mix of care, including clinician visits, food and pharmacy services; the notice does not establish that reporting is already active.
What happened
CMS’s August 27 Paperwork Reduction Act notice proposes a new Acute Hospital Care at Home Quantity, Intensity, and Mix of Services data collection tool, CMS-10971. The agency is seeking a new OMB control number and public comments by October 26, 2026. Its annual burden estimate is 365 respondents, 13,000 responses and 13,000 hours. Comments may address whether the collection is necessary and useful, whether the burden estimate is accurate, and whether clearer requirements or automated collection could reduce that burden. This is a proposed information collection, rather than evidence that OMB has approved or activated a new reporting obligation.
The notice links the tool to the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026 requirement for CMS to evaluate care delivered through the hospital-at-home initiative. Participating hospitals receive individual waivers at the CMS Certification Number level. CMS says the proposed information would describe services for patients admitted from an emergency department or transferred from an inpatient unit and support a report to Congress. Clinician visits, food services and pharmacy services are examples within the proposed quantity, intensity and mix measures, not an exhaustive three-field specification. The notice points to supporting statements and forms for further detail; it does not itself establish a final data dictionary, first reporting period or submission deadline.
Scope and timing
- Authority status
- Proposed
- Applicability
- Potentially applicable
- Audience
- Health systems
- Jurisdiction
- Federal
- Affected functions
- Clinical Operations, Compliance, Quality, HIM/CDI, Finance, Case Management
- Responsible owner
- Clinical Operations
- Recorded date
- 2026-10-26
- Date type
- comment
Why it matters
A participating hospital can use the comment period to test how the proposed quantity, intensity and mix measures relate to its documentation and data systems. The notice provides a proposed reporting burden, not evidence that most programs lack the needed data or that a final reporting obligation is already in effect.
Recommended action
Confirm whether the organization participates in Acute Hospital Care at Home. Ask the program and data owners to compare current documentation with the proposed collection, including clinician visits, food and pharmacy services, and decide by October 26 whether to comment on the burden estimate or collection design. Treat these as preparation and comment decisions, not a new active reporting deadline.
Sources
- Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request, CMS-10971 Acute Hospital Care at Home QIMS Data Collection ToolOfficial · Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Federal Register · 2026-08-27 · Source review 2026-10-11
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