Bipartisan Bill Would Boost Telehealth Use Under Medicare

摘要

Bipartisan groups of senators and House members on Oct. 30 introduced legislation to increase the use of tele-health services by Medicare beneficiaries, only 0.25% of whom currently use telehealth services, according to the bill sponsors. The proposed Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act would address some of the current statutory restrictions — "such as geographic and originating site requirements that only permit beneficiaries to receive telehealth services if they are in certain rural areas and at certain clinical sites" — that stand in the way of Medicare reimbursements for telehealth services, sponsors explained in a fact sheet.