NAHC advocacy scores wins in Congress

NAHC advocacy scores wins in Congress
NAHC Newsroom; Press Release; 5/10/24
Tireless advocacy by the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) and our partners at the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, has resulted in the approval of the Preserving Telehealth, Hospital, and Ambulance Access Act (H.R. 8261) through the Ways & Means Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives. While the committee advanced the legislation, it will still need to be passed by the full House of Representatives and the Senate as well. This first step was crucial to get the bill on the pathway to its ultimate enactment into law. This legislation provides:

• a two-year extension for removal of geographic and originating site restrictions, allowing for the face-to-face home health certification to be accomplished with telehealth,
• a two-year extension of the hospice re-certification with workable guardrails,
• a five-year extension of the hospital at home program, and
• a mandate for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to collect face-to-face visit data.

Editor's Note: Yesterday (5/14/24), we published a similar press release from NHPCO. This NAHC article provides specific information about what the legislation provides.