If you guessed 2024, you are correct!

At first I was intrigued by a new U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) initiative – endorsed by AOTA – “Home as a Health Care Hub”.

But as I read the background information, I just got angry.  Here are some current quotes from the FDA site:

“In the United States, health care has focused on the needs of the system – hospitals, clinics, providers, and payers – rather than the person.”

“Patients may have to use several different medical devices, some never initially designed with the home environment in mind.”

“People from various racial and ethnic minority populations and those who live in rural communities and lower-income neighborhoods are impacted the most by these system challenges.”

What?  The highest policy and regulatory agency in the United States just realized that one’s home can be the key to good health outcomes and the medical devices that the FDA regulates aren’t designed with the home environment in mind?

Are you kidding me?

While I am glad this agency is admitting a long standing failure and is attempting to remedy this lack of understanding of the patients they are tasked to protect.  I am still mad.

If like me, you have worked in home health you know that the home can be a powerful source of healing and support.  Study after study shows that a stable and safe home makes a positive impact on health and the ability to manage health conditions.

You also probably know the challenges of caring for a chronic condition at home – many times connected to CMS and insurance reimbursement.

So what to do?  Follow and comment on the FDA launch of Idea Lab.  The disease the FDA is using for the pilot is diabetes, and as OTs, we know OT strategies help patients managing diabetes.

The FDA Idea Lab includes

• Case studies presenting fictional patients with diabetes in affordable housing
• Free VR software so developers can experience a person’s home in affordable housing
• Considerations
• Research and Insights

Follow the work, comment and keep the pressure on this important new direction by the U.S. FDA.