AHA voices support for extending Medicare telehealth, hospital at home flexibilities
AHA March 12 shared with the House Ways and Means Committee how telehealth and hospital-at-home (H@H) programs have expanded access to care for patients in their homes and the need for these programs to continue.
“We look forward to working with Congress to extend the H@H program and permanently adopt telehealth waivers, which will provide additional opportunities to collect important quality, patient experience and reimbursement data that can help shape a permanent version of these programs,” AHA said in a statement submitted to the committee for a hearing on enhancing access to care at home in rural and underserved communities.
The AHA-supported CONNECT for Health Act (H.R. 4189/S. 2016), led by committee members Mike Thompson, D-Calif., and David Schweikert, R-Ariz., would address many of these telehealth waivers. Among other actions, AHA encouraged the committee to eliminate originating site restrictions so all Medicare beneficiaries can access services regardless of where they and their providers are physically located; include Medicare coverage and payment for audio-only services; and streamline licensure processes for providers employed by hospitals and health systems who operate across state lines.
AHA also voiced concern that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has cut base payments for home health agencies by more than 10% under the new patient-driven grouping model and plans to cut billions of dollars more in the near future.
“These reductions directly impact not only HHAs and their patients, but also hospital operations as hospitals have face increased difficulties with placing patients in HHA care,” AHA said.
In addition to the hearing, Reps. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter, R-Ga. and Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., March 12 introduced the Telehealth Modernization Act, AHA-supported legislation that would permanently extend certain Medicare telehealth flexibilities and expand them to federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics.
“The Telehealth Modernization Act will permanently extend many of the critical telehealth flexibilities that hospitals and health systems have used to change the way they are able to deliver care and increase access for patients,” said Lisa Kidder Hrobsky, AHA’s senior vice president for federal relations, advocacy and political affairs. “This legislation will ensure that patients continue to receive convenient, high-quality virtual care and will result in broader investments to further transform care delivery. The AHA commends Reps. Carter and Blunt Rochester and this bipartisan coalition of lawmakers for leading this important effort to protect patient access and avoid a telehealth cliff.”