Tell Congress to extend the Hospice Telehealth Face-to-Face Flexibility!
The COVID-19 PHE has demonstrated the value of increased access to telehealth services, especially those that are delivered in the home setting. Critical Medicare telehealth flexibilites in place as a result of the pandemic have supported home health and hospice providers' ability to deliver person-and-family-centered care that is high-quality, safe, and efficient. We need Congress to extend these allowances beyond the formal end of the PHE.
Fortunately, the Advancing Telehealth Beyond COVID-19 Act (HR 4040) would extend a number of the most important telehealth flexibilites through the end of 2024. This bill recently passed the US House with overwhelming bipartisan support. We now need the Senate to do the same and get it over the finish line! Reach out to your members of Congress now and ask them to support this critical legislation.
The specific flexibilites HR 4040 would extend through 2024 include:
- Allowing the hospice face-to-face (f2f) recertification visit to be performed via telehealth
- Removing the pre-pandemic geographic restrictions and expanding originating sites for Medicare telehealth services, which are allowing for teleservices to be delivered in patients' own homes and in communities all across the country.
- Allowing the continuation of coverage and payment of telehealth services furnished using audio-only telecommunications technology (i.e. phone calls)
- Delaying the in-person requirements under Medicare for mental health services furnished through telehealth and telecommunications technology
- Extending telehealth services for Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics; and
- Expanding the practitioners eligible to furnish telehealth services, to include qualified physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, and audiologists.
Let's tell Congress to pass HR 4040 quickly so care-in-the-home providers can continue innovating to meet the ever-growing demand for their services.
Tell Congress to extend the Hospice Telehealth Face-to-Face Flexibility!
The COVID-19 PHE has demonstrated the value of increased access to telehealth services, especially those that are delivered in the home setting. Critical Medicare telehealth flexibilites in place as a result of the pandemic have supported home health and hospice providers' ability to deliver person-and-family-centered care that is high-quality, safe, and efficient. We need Congress to extend these allowances beyond the formal end of the PHE.
Fortunately, the Advancing Telehealth Beyond COVID-19 Act (HR 4040) would extend a number of the most important telehealth flexibilites through the end of 2024. This bill recently passed the US House with overwhelming bipartisan support. We now need the Senate to do the same and get it over the finish line! Reach out to your members of Congress now and ask them to support this critical legislation.
The specific flexibilites HR 4040 would extend through 2024 include:
- Allowing the hospice face-to-face (f2f) recertification visit to be performed via telehealth
- Removing the pre-pandemic geographic restrictions and expanding originating sites for Medicare telehealth services, which are allowing for teleservices to be delivered in patients' own homes and in communities all across the country.
- Allowing the continuation of coverage and payment of telehealth services furnished using audio-only telecommunications technology (i.e. phone calls)
- Delaying the in-person requirements under Medicare for mental health services furnished through telehealth and telecommunications technology
- Extending telehealth services for Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics; and
- Expanding the practitioners eligible to furnish telehealth services, to include qualified physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, and audiologists.
Let's tell Congress to pass HR 4040 quickly so care-in-the-home providers can continue innovating to meet the ever-growing demand for their services.