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H 4432

An Act establishing the hospital to home partnership program

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Natalie Blais and 21 co-sponsors

Creates the Hospital to Home Partnership Program linking acute-care hospitals with Aging Services Access Points to boost discharges to home and reduce institutional stays.

Reporting date extended to Friday, July 31, 2026
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Bill Summary · H 4432

Summary of Massachusetts House Bill No. 4432 (H. 4432)

Overview

H. 4432, titled “An Act establishing the hospital to home partnership program,” proposes creating a Hospital to Home Partnership Program within the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS). The objective is to strengthen collaboration between acute-care hospitals and aging services access points (ASAPs) to promote discharge planning that diverts patients from institutional care toward home and community-based settings. The bill was introduced on August 28, 2025, and has been reported favorably by the Committee on Aging and Independence and referred to the Committee on Health Care Financing. A new draft, House Bill 780, accompanies the action.

Purpose and Policy Intent

  • To promote partnerships between acute-care hospitals and ASAPs.
  • To improve communication and coordination with community providers.
  • To increase institutional diversion and raise discharge rates from hospitals to home- and community-based settings.
  • To reduce reliance on skilled nursing facilities or other inpatient institutional placements where appropriate, by connecting patients to appropriate home- and community-based services.

Key Provisions

  • Establishment and Governance

    • Creates the Hospital to Home Partnership Program within the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS).
    • The program’s mission is to foster partnerships between acute-care hospitals (as defined by section 25B of chapter 111) and ASAPs (as defined by section 4B of chapter 19A).

  • Hospital Participation and Liaison Requirement

    • Acute-care hospitals that participate in the program must include at least one ASAP staff member to serve as a home and community-based services hospital liaison.
    • The liaison’s role is to support the hospital’s efforts to connect individuals to home- and community-based services programs and other community services to enable discharge to the community rather than to a skilled nursing facility or other institutional placement.

Who Would Be Affected

  • Acute-care Hospitals in Massachusetts, which would participate in the program and designate an ASAP liaison.
  • Aging Services Access Points (ASAPs), as defined in Massachusetts law, which would partner with hospitals to coordinate post-acute care and community-based services.
  • Community-based service providers and agencies that deliver home- and community-based services.

Implementation Timeline and Process

  • Legislative action history indicates the bill was reported favorably by the Committee on Aging and Independence on August 28, 2025 and referred to the Committee on Health Care Financing.
  • A new draft referenced as H. 780 accompanied this action.
  • The text does not specify a definitive effective date or funding mechanisms within the excerpt provided; implementation details would likely follow in regulatory rules or subsequent statutory language if enacted.

Fiscal and Administrative Considerations

  • The current text does not include explicit funding or appropriation provisions.
  • Administrative responsibilities would lie with EOHHS to establish the program, define participation criteria, and coordinate with hospitals and ASAPs.

Legislative Status (as of provided information)

  • Introduced: August 28, 2025
  • Reported favorably by the Committee on Aging and Independence
  • Referred to the Committee on Health Care Financing
  • Associated with House draft H. 780

This bill represents a targeted effort to strengthen hospital-to-home transitions by embedding ASAP expertise directly within participating hospitals, with the aim of improving patient outcomes and reducing unnecessary institutional care.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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