Two telehealth bills proposed in 2013 and 2014 are set to be reintroduced to Congress, putting legislators back on track to discuss giving providers more opportunities to use telemedicine and be reimbursed for it.
The bills, orchestrated by Reps. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) and Gregg Harper (R-Miss.), had been delayed due to Congress' work on the Energy and Commerce Committee's work on telemedicine initiatives. But officials at the American Telemedicine Association, which had a hand in developing both bills, said they'll soon be brought back.
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Thompson's bill, HR 5380, was originally introduced on July 31, 2014 (Harper also sponsored the bill) as the Telehealth Parity Act of 2014. It proposes to expand telehealth sites and increase the number of providers able to offer telehealth services in three stages over four years, beginning in counties with populations of less than 50,000 and gradually extending to larger counties.
As proposed, the bill would expand the use of Medicare-reimbursed video conferencing and store-and-forward technologies in rural health clinics and health centers. The use of remote patient monitoring for diabetes, congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease would be included, as well as video conferencing for home health services and agencies, durable medical equipment, home dialysis and hospice services.
In addition, the bill would expand services covered under Medicare to those provided by physical therapists, certified diabetes educators, speech language therapists, audiologists, respiratory therapists and occupational therapists.
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When they first introduced the bill in 2014, Thompson and Harper said this action would put "telehealth services under Medicare on the path toward parity with in-person healthcare visits."
“Telehealth saves money and helps save lives,” Thompson said in a press release. “By expanding telehealth services, we can make sure the best care and the best treatments are available to all Americans, no matter where they live.”
Harper's bill, HR 3306, was first introduced on Oct. 22, 2013 as the Telehealth Enhancement Act of 2013, with co-sponsors Thompson, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) and Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.). It calls for Medicare home health payments to account for remote patient monitoring and expands coverage to all critical access and sole community hospitals, regardless of metropolitan status. It also covers home-based video services for hospice care, home dialysis and homebound beneficiaries and allows states to set up high-risk pregnancy networks within their Medicaid programs.
In an analysis by the ATA, the proposed bill would:
- Add incentives for fewer Medicare hospital readmissions;
- Create new Medicaid optional packages for high-risk pregnancy and birth networks;
- Cover telehealth services under Medicare payment bundles for post-acute care;
- Allow Medicare accountable care organizations to use telehealth like Medicare managed care plans; and
- Facilitate Medicare home-based kidney dialysis.
