House passes bill extending telehealth waivers through 2024
From broadened access to care to removing geographic and originating-site restrictions, the AMA wants flexibilities to be made permanent.
Photo: Alistair Berg/Getty Images
The House passed a bill Wednesday that extends telehealth flexibilities under Medicare that were initially authorized during the public health emergency of COVID-19.
The House of Representatives passed H.R. 4040, Advancing Telehealth Beyond COVID-19 Act of 2022. It now moves to the Senate for approval.
The American Medical Association applauded the House's passage of the bill, which keeps telehealth flexibilities through 2024.
The bill would allow federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics to serve as the distant site, that is, the location of the healthcare practitioner; it would allow beneficiaries to receive telehealth services at any site, regardless of type or location; it would allow any type of practitioner to furnish telehealth services, subject to approval by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; and it would continue coverage for audio-only evaluation and management and behavioral health services.
WHY THIS MATTERS
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services allowed these flexibilities during the public health emergency to allow patients to receive care virtually when they were unable to get care in-person.
During the public health emergency, providers invested in telehealth, but the end of the PHE would revert innovative business models to the limited use and reimbursement of telehealth services that existed prepandemic.
AMA President Dr. Jack Resneck Jr. said, "Increased Medicare-covered access to telehealth has been a lifeline to patients and physicians throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and the American Medical Association is pleased by today's bipartisan vote in the House. The COVID-19 public health emergency made plain that care via telehealth should be available to all Medicare patients, especially with their own physicians, regardless of where they live or how they access these services.
"From continuity of care, broadened access to care, and removing geographic and originating-site restrictions, our hope is that the flexibilities afforded during the public health emergency will be made permanent," he continued. "This legislation offers an important step in that direction by extending telehealth benefits to December 31, 2024. We urge the Senate to act on this bipartisan bill, and for the Congress to build on this success."
THE LARGER TREND
The Department of Health and Human Services this month extended the public health emergency for another 90 days, which would end the PHE in mid-October if it is not extended again. Common consensus is that the federal government will leave the PHE in place through the November midterm elections until the end of the year.
HHS promised to give providers 60 days' notice of the end of the PHE. Telehealth waivers granted under the PHE would then expire 151 days later.
Several telehealth bills have been proposed to stop the telehealth cliff.
ON THE RECORD
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard E. Neal, D-Mass., said: "The ease and usefulness of telehealth has been cemented throughout the course of the pandemic. Extending telehealth capabilities for Medicare beneficiaries will give our seniors stability while also allowing us to evaluate the value, quality and equity of this tool over the next two years."
Twitter: @SusanJMorse
Email the writer: SMorse@himss.org
