Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act of 2017

Summary: Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act of 2017 This bill allows Medicare payment for home health services ordered&nbsp;by a nurse practitioner, a clinical nurse specialist, a certified nurse-midwife, or a physician assistant.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Home Health Care Planning 
Improvement Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVING CARE PLANNING FOR MEDICARE HOME HEALTH SERVICES.

    (a) Part A Provisions.--Section 1814(a) of the Social Security Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1395f(a)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2)--
                    (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by 
                inserting ``, a nurse practitioner or clinical nurse 
                specialist who is working in collaboration with a 
                physician in accordance with State law, a certified 
                nurse-midwife (as defined in section 1861(gg)) as 
                authorized by State law, or a physician assistant (as 
                defined in section 1861(aa)(5)) under the supervision 
                of a physician'' after ``1866(j)''; and
                    (B) in subparagraph (C)--
                            (i) by inserting ``, a nurse practitioner, 
                        a clinical nurse specialist, a certified nurse-
                        midwife, or a physician assistant (as the case 
                        may be)'' after ``physician'' the first 2 times 
                        it appears; and
                            (ii) by striking ``, and, in the case of a 
                        certification made by a physician'' and all 
                        that follows through ``face-to-face encounter'' 
                        and inserting ``, and, in the case of a 
                        certification made by a physician after January 
                        1, 2010, or by a nurse practitioner, clinical 
                        nurse specialist, certified nurse-midwife, or 
                        physician assistant (as the case may be) after 
                        January 1, 2018, prior to making such 
                        certification the physician, nurse 
                        practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, 
                        certified nurse-midwife, or physician assistant 
                        must document that the physician, nurse 
                        practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, 
                        certified nurse-midwife, or physician assistant 
                        has had a face-to-face encounter'';
            (2) in the second sentence, by inserting ``certified nurse-
        midwife,'' after ``clinical nurse specialist,'';
            (3) in the third sentence--
                    (A) by striking ``physician certification'' and 
                inserting ``certification'';
                    (B) by inserting ``(or on January 1, 2018, in the 
                case of regulations to implement the amendments made by 
                section 2 of the Home Health Care Planning Improvement 
                Act of 2017)'' after ``1981''; and
                    (C) by striking ``a physician who'' and inserting 
                ``a physician, nurse practitioner, clinical nurse 
                specialist, certified nurse-midwife, or physician 
                assistant who''; and
            (4) in the fourth sentence, by inserting ``, nurse 
        practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, certified nurse-
        midwife, or physician assistant'' after ``physician''.
    (b) Part B Provisions.--Section 1835(a) of the Social Security Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1395n(a)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2)--
                    (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by 
                inserting ``, a nurse practitioner or clinical nurse 
                specialist (as those terms are defined in 1861(aa)(5)) 
                who is working in collaboration with a physician in 
                accordance with State law, a certified nurse-midwife 
                (as defined in section 1861(gg)) as authorized by State 
                law, or a physician assistant (as defined in section 
                1861(aa)(5)) under the supervision of a physician'' 
                after ``1866(j)''; and
                    (B) in subparagraph (A)--
                            (i) in each of clauses (ii) and (iii) of 
                        subparagraph (A), by inserting ``, a nurse 
                        practitioner, a clinical nurse specialist, a 
                        certified nurse-midwife, or a physician 
                        assistant (as the case may be)'' after 
                        ``physician''; and
                            (ii) in clause (iv), by striking ``after 
                        January 1, 2010'' and all that follows through 
                        ``face-to-face encounter'' and inserting ``made 
                        by a physician after January 1, 2010, or by a 
                        nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, 
                        certified nurse-midwife, or physician assistant 
                        (as the case may be) after January 1, 2018, 
                        prior to making such certification the 
                        physician, nurse practitioner, clinical nurse 
                        specialist, certified nurse-midwife, or 
                        physician assistant must document that the 
                        physician, nurse practitioner, clinical nurse 
                        specialist, certified nurse-midwife, or 
                        physician assistant has had a face-to-face 
                        encounter'';
            (2) in the third sentence, by inserting ``, nurse 
        practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, certified nurse-
        midwife, or physician assistant (as the case may be)'' after 
        ``physician'';
            (3) in the fourth sentence--
                    (A) by striking ``physician certification'' and 
                inserting ``certification'';
                    (B) by inserting ``(or on January 1, 2018, in the 
                case of regulations to implement the amendments made by 
                section 2 of the Home Health Care Planning Improvement 
                Act of 2017)'' after ``1981''; and
                    (C) by striking ``a physician who'' and inserting 
                ``a physician, nurse practitioner, clinical nurse 
                specialist, certified nurse-midwife, or physician 
                assistant who''; and
            (4) in the fifth sentence, by inserting ``, nurse 
        practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, certified nurse-
        midwife, or physician assistant'' after ``physician''.
    (c) Definition Provisions.--
            (1) Home health services.--Section 1861(m) of the Social 
        Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(m)) is amended--
                    (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1)--
                            (i) by inserting ``, a nurse practitioner 
                        or a clinical nurse specialist (as those terms 
                        are defined in subsection (aa)(5)), a certified 
                        nurse-midwife (as defined in section 1861(gg)), 
                        or a physician assistant (as defined in 
                        subsection (aa)(5))'' after ``physician'' the 
                        first place it appears; and
                            (ii) by inserting ``, a nurse practitioner, 
                        a clinical nurse specialist, a certified nurse-
                        midwife, or a physician assistant'' after 
                        ``physician'' the second place it appears; and
                    (B) in paragraph (3), by inserting ``, a nurse 
                practitioner, a clinical nurse specialist, a certified 
                nurse-midwife, or a physician assistant'' after 
                ``physician''.
            (2) Home health agency.--Section 1861(o)(2) of the Social 
        Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(o)(2)) is amended--
                    (A) by inserting ``, nurse practitioners or 
                clinical nurse specialists (as those terms are defined 
                in subsection (aa)(5)), certified nurse-midwives (as 
                defined in section 1861(gg)), or physician assistants 
                (as defined in subsection (aa)(5))'' after 
                ``physicians''; and
                    (B) by inserting ``, nurse practitioner, clinical 
                nurse specialist, certified nurse-midwife, physician 
                assistant,'' after ``physician''.
    (d) Home Health Prospective Payment System Provisions.--Section 
1895 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395fff) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (c)(1), by inserting ``, the nurse 
        practitioner or clinical nurse specialist (as those terms are 
        defined in section 1861(aa)(5)), the certified nurse-midwife 
        (as defined in section 1861(gg)), or the physician assistant 
        (as defined in section 1861(aa)(5)),'' after ``physician''; and
            (2) in subsection (e)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1)(A), by inserting ``, a nurse 
                practitioner or clinical nurse specialist (as those 
                terms are defined in section 1861(aa)(5)), a certified 
                nurse-midwife (as defined in section 1861(gg)), or a 
                physician assistant (as defined in section 
                1861(aa)(5))'' after ``physician''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (2)--
                            (i) in the heading, by striking ``Physician 
                        certification'' and inserting ``Rule of 
                        construction regarding requirement for 
                        certification''; and
                            (ii) by striking ``physician''.
    (e) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall 
apply to items and services furnished on or after January 1, 2018.