Formatting necessary for an accurate reading of this text may be shown by tags (e.g., <DELETED> or <BOLD>) or may be missing from this TXT display. For complete and accurate display of this text, see the PDF.
[Pages S6415-S6416]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTION
By Ms. COLLINS (for herself and Mr. Cardin):
S. 4854. A bill to provide payments for home health services
furnished via visual or audio telecommunication systems during an
emergency period; to the Committee on Finance.
Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I rise today. along with my colleague
Senator Cardin, to introduce the Home Health Emergency Access to
Telehealth Act or Heat Act. This bipartisan bill would help ensure that
seniors who rely on home health care have the choice to receive these
critical services through telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic and
future public health emergencies.
COVID-19 is the greatest public health challenge since the flu
pandemic of 1918 and has claimed the lives of more than 200,000
Americans. This public health emergency has underscored the need for
older adults and other at-risk populations to have access to health
care in the home setting. Home-based care is crucial to ensuring that
this pandemic does not create devastating long-term health consequences
due to delayed care. The highly skilled and compassionate care that
home health agencies provide are an important component of this inhome
care.
I have been a strong supporter of home care since my very first home
visit, which took place in my hometown in Aroostook County early in my
Senate service. This experience gave me the opportunity to meet and
visit with home health patients, where I saw first-hand what a
difference highly skilled and caring visiting nurses and other health
care professionals make to the lives of patients and their families. I
have been a passionate advocate for home care ever since.
In March, my bipartisan home health legislation, the Home Health Care
Planning Improvement Act, became law as part of the Coronavirus Aid,
Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. This new law will improve
the access Medicare beneficiaries have to home health care by allowing
physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists,
and certified
[[Page S6416]]
nurse midwives to order home health services. Far too often seniors
experience unnecessary delays in accessing home health care. To avoid
these needless delays, it is common sense that other medical
professionals who are familiar with a patient's case should be able to
order these services.
Home health professionals have continued to provide face-to-face
services during the COVID-19 public health emergency, but this crisis
has created additional challenges, including the need to maintain an
adequate supply of personal protective equipment to protect themselves,
their patients, and their patients' families. The use of telehealth and
virtual visits can help address these challenges. Unlike other Medicare
providers, however, home health agencies are not eligible to receive
Medicare reimbursement for telehealth services during the COVID-19
emergency.
In May, I led Congress' first hearing examining COVID-19's
devastating impact on seniors. During the hearing, Dr. Steven H.
Landers, President and CEO of the Visiting Nurse Association Health
Group, testified that, despite this lack of Medicare reimbursement, his
organization has found telehealth to be an essential part of providing
high quality home health care during the COVID-19 public health
emergency. He urged action to ensure that home health providers can
continue offering these critical services remotely.
Maine home health care providers have also shared stories about how
telehealth is helping them to continue caring for their patients during
COVID-19. Through a combination of video visits and care calls, one
provider has been able to care for a woman with severe heart and lung
disease and keep this patient out of the hospital. The nurse would
speak with the woman by phone a couple of times per week to assess any
symptoms that needed follow up. If the nurse identified an issue during
the call, she would schedule a video visit and also work with the
patient's physician to modify medications as needed.
The bill I am introducing today would authorize Medicare
reimbursement for home health services provided through telehealth
during a public health emergency where telehealth can be used
appropriately. The services would not be reimbursed unless the
beneficiary consents to receiving the services via telehealth. To
ensure that the Medicare home health benefit does not become a
telehealth-only benefit, Medicare reimbursement would only be provided
if the telehealth services constitute no more than half of the billable
visits made during the 30-day payment period.
Home health serves a vital role in helping our nation's seniors avoid
more costly hospital visits and nursing home stays. The COVID-19
emergency has further underscored the critical importance of home
health services and highlighted how these agencies are able to use
telehealth to provide skilled care to their patients. The Home Health
Emergency Access to Telehealth (HEAT) Act would ensure that seniors in
Maine and across the country retain access to remote home health
services during the COVID-19 emergency and future public health
emergencies.
Thank you, Mr. President.
____________________
