Bill Details
S.248 - 119th Congress
Status
Latest action
2025-01-24 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Introduced Date
2025-01-24
Policy Area
Health
Committees
View committees (1)
Sponsors
Cosponsors
7
0
0
AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would make permanent some telehealth options that were created during COVID-19 for Medicare patients getting heart and lung rehabilitation. It would let certain cardiac rehab, intensive cardiac rehab, and pulmonary rehab visits be done at home through live video, instead of only at a clinic or hospital. It also gives the Health and Human Services Department authority to set rules for when a patient’s home can count as a provider-based hospital location, and it expands which rehab services can be covered as telehealth. Most of the changes would start applying on January 1, 2026.
- It would allow some rehabilitation visits to be provided through real-time audio and video while the patient is at home.
- It would also allow a home to be treated as part of a hospital outpatient setting in certain cases, following standards set by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
- The bill would make sure Medicare can cover telehealth visits for cardiac rehab, intensive cardiac rehab, and pulmonary rehab under the expanded rules.
- The new standards and coverage rules would take effect for services provided on or after January 1, 2026.
Official Summaries
Sustainable Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Services in the Home Act
This bill permanently allows services relating to cardiac rehabilitation programs, intensive cardiac rehabilitation programs, and pulmonary rehabilitation programs to be furnished via telehealth at a beneficiary's home under Medicare.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 248 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 248
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to permanently extend
certain in-home cardiopulmonary rehabilitation flexibilities
established in response to COVID-19, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 24, 2025
Mrs. Blackburn (for herself and Ms. Klobuchar) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to permanently extend
certain in-home cardiopulmonary rehabilitation flexibilities
established in response to COVID-19, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Sustainable Cardiopulmonary
Rehabilitation Services in the Home Act''.
SEC. 2. CODIFYING VIRTUAL CARDIOPULMONARY REHABILITATION FLEXIBILITIES
ESTABLISHED IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19.
(a) In General.--Section 1861(eee)(2) of the Social Security Act
(42 U.S.C. 1395x(eee)(2)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (A)(ii), by inserting ``, including in
the home of an individual when furnished as a telehealth
service through audio-visual real-time communications
technology, or when such home is designated as a provider-based
location of a hospital outpatient department'' after
``outpatient basis''; and
(2) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ``, including through
the virtual presence of such physician, physician assistant,
nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist, through
audio-visual real-time communications technology'' after
``under the program''.
(b) Expanding Originating Sites.--Section 1834(m) of the Social
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m(m)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``and (9)'' and all that
follows through ``(as defined in paragraph (4)(E))'' and
inserting ``, (9), and (10), the Secretary shall pay for
telehealth services that are furnished via a telecommunications
system by a physician (as defined in section 1861(r)) or a
practitioner (as defined in paragraph (4)(E)), or by a hospital
(as defined in section 1861(e))'';
(2) in paragraph (2)(A), by striking ``or practitioner''
each place that it appears and inserting ``, practitioner, or
hospital'';
(3) in paragraph (4)(A), by striking ``or practitioner''
and inserting ``, practitioner, or hospital'';
(4) in paragraph (4)(C)--
(A) in clause (i), by striking ``and (7)'' and
inserting ``(7), and (10)''; and
(B) in clause (ii)(X), by striking ``paragraph
(7)'' and inserting ``paragraphs (7) and (10)'';
(5) in paragraph (4)(F)(i), by striking ``paragraph (8)''
and inserting ``paragraphs (8) and (10)''; and
(6) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(10) Treatment of cardiac rehabilitation program,
intensive cardiac rehabilitation program, and pulmonary
rehabilitation program visits furnished through telehealth.--In
the case of items and services furnished on or after January 1,
2026, the geographic requirements described in paragraph
(4)(C)(i) shall not apply with respect to telehealth services
for cardiac rehabilitation programs and intensive cardiac
rehabilitation programs (as such terms are defined in section
1861(eee)) and pulmonary rehabilitation programs (as defined in
section 1861(fff)) at an originating site described in
subclause (V) or (X) of paragraph (4)(C)(ii).''.
(c) Authority To Establish Standards and Allow for Certain Programs
To Utilize Telehealth Services.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 30 days after the date of
enactment of this section, the Secretary of Health and Human
Services shall--
(A) establish standards for the designation of the
home of an individual with status as a provider-based
organization of a hospital consistent with waivers
issued through the Hospital Without Walls program for
cardiac rehabilitation, pulmonary rehabilitation, and
intensive cardiac rehabilitation; and
(B) include items and services furnished under a
cardiac rehabilitation program or under an intensive
cardiac rehabilitation program (as such terms are
defined in section 1861(eee) of the Social Security Act
(42 U.S.C. 1395x(eee)), or under a pulmonary
rehabilitation program (as defined in section 1861(fff)
of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(fff)) among telehealth
services to be specified under section 1834(m)(4)(F) of
such Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m(m)(4)(F)).
(2) Effective date.--The standards established under
paragraph (1) shall apply to items and services furnished on or
after January 1, 2026.
(d) Implementation.--Notwithstanding any other provision of the
law, the Secretary of Health and Human Services may implement the
provisions of, and the amendments made by, this section by program
instruction or otherwise.
(e) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsections (a) and (b)
shall apply to items and services furnished on or after January 1,
2026.
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