I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1148 

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand access to 

telehealth-eligible stroke services under the Medicare program. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 16, 2017 

Mr. GRIFFITH (for himself, Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. CARTER of Georgia, Mr. RYAN

of Ohio, Mr. COLLINS of New York, Mr. ROE of Tennessee, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. ABRAHAM, Mr. BABIN, Mr. TURNER, and Mr. JOHNSON of 

Ohio) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways 

and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 

in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand 

access to telehealth-eligible stroke services under the 

Medicare program. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Furthering Access to 

5 Stroke Telemedicine Act of 2017’’ or the ‘‘FAST Act of 

6 2017’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. EXPANDING ACCESS TO TELEHEALTH-ELIGIBLE 

2 STROKE SERVICES UNDER THE MEDICARE 

3 PROGRAM. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1834(m)(4) of the Social 

5 Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m(m)(4)) is amended— 

6 (1) in subparagraph (C)— 

7 (A) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘The term’’ 

8 and inserting ‘‘Subject to clause (iii), the 

9 term’’; and 

10 (B) by adding at the end the following new 

11 clause: 

12 ‘‘(iii) TELEHEALTH-ELIGIBLE STROKE

13 SERVICES.—With respect to telehealth-eli14 gible stroke services, the term ‘originating 

15 site’ means any hospital, or any mobile 

16 unit equipped with the ability to evaluate 

17 possible stroke patients while being trans18 ported to a hospital, at which the eligible 

19 telehealth individual is located at the time 

20 the service is furnished via a telecommuni21 cations system, regardless of where the 

22 hospital or mobile unit is located.’’; 

23 (2) in subparagraph (F)(i) by inserting ‘‘tele24 health-eligible stroke services,’’ after ‘‘Secretary)),’’; 

25 and 


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1 (3) by adding at the end the following new sub2 paragraph: 

3 ‘‘(G) TELEHEALTH-ELIGIBLE STROKE

4 SERVICES.—The term ‘telehealth-eligible stroke 

5 services’ means services that are— 

6 ‘‘(i) related to the diagnosis, evalua7 tion, or treatment of symptoms in an indi8 vidual of an acute stroke; and 

9 ‘‘(ii) provided to such individual not 

10 later than four and a half hours (or such 

11 other clinically appropriate amount of time 

12 as is determined by the Secretary) after 

13 the onset of such symptoms with respect to 

14 such individual.’’. 

15 (b) NO ORIGINATING SITE FACILITY FEE FOR NEW

16 SITES.—Section 1834(m)(2)(B) of the Social Security Act 

17 (42 U.S.C. 1395m(m)(2)(B)) is amended, in the matter 

18 preceding clause (i), by inserting ‘‘(other than an origi19 nating site that is only described in clause (iii) of para20 graph (4)(C), and does not meet the requirement for an 

21 originating site under clause (i) of such paragraph)’’ after 

22 ‘‘the originating site’’. 

23 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

24 this section shall apply to services furnished on or after 


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1 the date that is 18 months after the date of the enactment 

2 of this Act. 

Æ 


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