I 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4442 
To amend titles XVIII and XI of the Social Security Act to promote cost 
savings and quality care under the Medicare program through the use 
of telehealth and remote patient monitoring services, and for other pur-
poses. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 3, 2016 
Mrs. BLACK (for herself, Mr. WELCH, Mr. HARPER, and Mr. THOMPSON of 
California) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee 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 titles XVIII and XI of the Social Security Act 
to promote cost savings and quality care under the Medi-
care program through the use of telehealth and remote 
patient monitoring services, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective 
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Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act’’ or the 
‘‘CONNECT for Health Act’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
TITLE I—TELEHEALTH AND REMOTE PATIENT MONITORING 
SERVICES ‘‘BRIDGE’’ DEMONSTRATION WAIVERS 
Sec. 101. Telehealth and remote patient monitoring services ‘‘bridge’’ dem-
onstration waivers. 
TITLE II—TELEHEALTH AND REMOTE PATIENT MONITORING 
SERVICES FURNISHED BY QUALIFYING APM PARTICIPANTS 
Sec. 201. Telehealth and remote patient monitoring services furnished by quali-
fying APM participants. 
TITLE III—MEDICARE COVERAGE OF TELEHEALTH AND REMOTE 
PATIENT MONITORING SERVICES 
Sec. 301. Remote patient monitoring services for individuals with certain chron-
ic health conditions. 
Sec. 302. Allowing telehealth to meet monthly clinician in-person visit require-
ment for certain home dialysis. 
Sec. 303. Allowing stroke evaluation sites and Native American health service 
facilities as sites eligible for telehealth payment. 
Sec. 304. Rural health clinics and Federally qualified health centers authorized 
to be distant sites. 
Sec. 305. Addressing gaps in quality measures for telehealth and remote pa-
tient monitoring services. 
TITLE IV—USE OF TELEHEALTH AND REMOTE PATIENT MONI-
TORING SERVICES TO PROVIDE BASIC BENEFITS UNDER MEDI-
CARE PART C 
Sec. 401. Use of telehealth and remote patient monitoring services to provide 
basic benefits under Medicare part C. 
TITLE V—CLARIFICATION REGARDING TELEHEALTH AND RE-
MOTE PATIENT MONITORING TECHNOLOGIES PROVIDED TO 
BENEFICIARIES 
Sec. 501. Clarification regarding telehealth and remote patient monitoring tech-
nologies provided to beneficiaries. 
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TITLE I—TELEHEALTH AND RE-
MOTE PATIENT MONITORING 
SERVICES 
‘‘BRIDGE’’ 
DEM-
ONSTRATION WAIVERS 
SEC. 101. TELEHEALTH AND REMOTE PATIENT MONI-
TORING SERVICES ‘‘BRIDGE’’ DEMONSTRA-
TION WAIVERS. 
Title XVIII of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new section: 
‘‘SEC. 1899C. TELEHEALTH AND REMOTE PATIENT MONI-
TORING 
SERVICES 
‘BRIDGE’ 
DEMONSTRA-
TION WAIVERS. 
‘‘(a) IMPLEMENTATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the succeeding 
provisions of this subsection, the Secretary shall so-
licit proposals from, and issue telehealth or remote 
patient monitoring services ‘bridge’ demonstration 
waivers under this title to, eligible applicants who, 
for the duration of time for which the demonstration 
waiver would apply, are furnishing telehealth or re-
mote patient monitoring services (as defined in sec-
tion 1861(iii)) to individuals under this title in a 
manner that is consistent with the goals of the 
Merit-based Incentive Payment System under sec-
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tion 1848(q), including the goals of quality, resource 
utilization, and clinical practice improvement (in-
cluding care coordination and patient engagement), 
or the incentive payments for participation in eligible 
alternative payment models under section 1833(z). 
‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE APPLICANT DEFINED.—In this 
section, the term ‘eligible applicant’ means the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(A) A professional described in section 
1848(q)(1)(C)(i)(I). 
‘‘(B) A qualifying APM participant (as de-
fined in section 1833(z)(2)). 
‘‘(C) Any other provider, including a pro-
fessional 
described 
in 
section 
1848(q)(1)(C)(i)(II), determined appropriate by 
the Secretary, and a group that includes such 
providers. 
‘‘(b) DEMONSTRATION WAIVER APPLICATION RE-
QUIREMENTS.—An eligible applicant seeking a demonstra-
tion waiver under this section shall submit an application 
to the Secretary on an annual basis that includes the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(1) An attestation of the intent of the appli-
cant to use telehealth or remote patient monitoring 
services to meet the goals described in subsection 
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(a)(1), and details (as specified by the Secretary) on 
how the eligible applicant will use those services to 
meet such goals. 
‘‘(2) An agreement by the applicant to— 
‘‘(A) submit the information described in 
subsection (d) in accordance with such sub-
section; and 
‘‘(B) cooperate in any audit conducted 
under subsection (e) with respect to claims for 
telehealth or remote patient monitoring services 
furnished by the applicant under the waiver. 
‘‘(c) WAIVER OF LIMITATIONS FOR TELEHEALTH OR 
REMOTE PATIENT MONITORING SERVICES.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall waive 
certain applicable provisions of sections 1834(m) 
and 1861(iii) as a condition of payment for tele-
health or remote patient monitoring services for eli-
gible applicants whose application for a demonstra-
tion waiver was approved under this section. The 
provisions to be waived under the preceding sentence 
include any limitation on what qualifies as an origi-
nating site, any geographic limitation (subject to 
State licensing requirements), any limitation on the 
use of store-and-forward technologies, or any limita-
tion on the type of health care provider who may 
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furnish such services (provided the provider is a 
Medicare enrolled provider). 
‘‘(2) GENERAL
SUPERVISION.—The Secretary 
shall permit an eligible applicant whose application 
for a demonstration waiver was approved under this 
section to furnish telehealth or remote patient moni-
toring services under the general supervision of the 
applicant. 
‘‘(d) ANNUAL SUBMISSION OF DATA.—An eligible ap-
plicant whose application for a demonstration waiver 
under this section was approved shall, on an annual basis, 
submit to the Secretary— 
‘‘(1) information requested by the Secretary for 
evaluation of the demonstration, including informa-
tion on utilization and expenditures for telehealth or 
remote patient monitoring services under the dem-
onstration waiver during the preceding year; 
‘‘(2) data on applicable quality measures during 
the preceding year, consistent with sections 1848 
and 1833(z); and 
‘‘(3) such other information as the Secretary 
determines is necessary to complete the report under 
subsection (g). 
‘‘(e) RANDOM AUDITS.—The Secretary shall conduct 
audits of randomly selected claims under the demonstra-
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tion waiver program under this section to ensure that 
waivers under the program are being used as intended to 
furnish telehealth or remote patient monitoring services. 
‘‘(f) IMPLEMENTATION.— 
‘‘(1) SUNSET.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), the authority to carry out the demonstra-
tion waiver program under this section shall expire 
on December 31, 2019. 
‘‘(2) EXPANSION.—Taking into account the re-
port under subsection (g), the Secretary may, 
through rulemaking, expand (including implementa-
tion on a nationwide basis) the duration and the 
scope of the demonstration waiver program under 
this section, to the extent determined appropriate by 
the Secretary, if— 
‘‘(A) the Secretary determines that such 
expansion is expected to— 
‘‘(i) reduce spending under this title 
without reducing the quality of care; or 
‘‘(ii) improve the quality of patient 
care without increasing spending; 
‘‘(B) the Chief Actuary of the Centers for 
Medicare & Medicaid Services certifies that 
such expansion would reduce (or would not re-
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sult in any increase in) net program spending 
under this title; and 
‘‘(C) the Secretary determines that such 
expansion would not deny or limit the coverage 
or provision of benefits under this title for indi-
viduals. 
‘‘(g) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than Decem-
ber 31, 2020, the Chief Actuary of the Centers for Medi-
care & Medicaid Services shall submit to Congress a report 
containing an evaluation of the impact of telehealth and 
remote patient monitoring services under the demonstra-
tion waiver program on— 
‘‘(1) spending under this title; and 
‘‘(2) achieving the additional MIPS adjustment 
factors for exceptional performance described in sec-
tion 1848(q)(6)(C) and incentive payments for par-
ticipation in eligible alternative payment models de-
scribed in section 1833(z)(1).’’. 
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TITLE II—TELEHEALTH AND RE-
MOTE PATIENT MONITORING 
SERVICES 
FURNISHED 
BY 
QUALIFYING 
APM 
PARTICI-
PANTS 
SEC. 201. TELEHEALTH AND REMOTE PATIENT MONI-
TORING SERVICES FURNISHED BY QUALI-
FYING APM PARTICIPANTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Title XVIII of the Social Security 
Act (42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq.), as amended by section 101, 
is amended by adding at the end the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 1899D. TELEHEALTH AND REMOTE PATIENT MONI-
TORING SERVICES FURNISHED BY QUALI-
FYING APM PARTICIPANTS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall waive cer-
tain applicable provisions of section 1834(m) and section 
1861(iii) as a condition of payment for telehealth or re-
mote patient monitoring services for a qualifying APM 
participant (as defined in section 1833(z)(2)). The provi-
sions to be waived under the preceding sentence include 
any limitation on what qualifies as an originating site, any 
geographic limitation (subject to State licensing require-
ments), any limitation on the use of store-and-forward 
technologies, or any limitation on the type of health care 
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provider who may furnish such services (provided the pro-
vider is a Medicare enrolled provider). 
‘‘(b) ANNUAL SUBMISSION OF DATA.—A qualifying 
APM participant (as so defined) who furnishes telehealth 
or remote patient monitoring services under this section 
shall, on an annual basis, submit to the Secretary informa-
tion requested by the Secretary for evaluation of the im-
plementation of this section, including information on uti-
lization and expenditures for telehealth or remote patient 
monitoring services under this section during the pre-
ceding year and data on any applicable quality measures, 
consistent with sections 1848 and 1833(z). 
‘‘(c) NO INCREASE IN EXPENDITURES.—If the Sec-
retary determines payments for telehealth or remote pa-
tient monitoring services under this section will increase 
expenditures under this title, the Secretary shall make ad-
justments to such payments to eliminate such increased 
expenditures.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 
this section shall apply with respect to services furnished 
on or after January 1, 2017. 
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TITLE 
III—MEDICARE 
COV-
ERAGE OF TELEHEALTH AND 
REMOTE 
PATIENT 
MONI-
TORING SERVICES 
SEC. 301. REMOTE PATIENT MONITORING SERVICES FOR 
INDIVIDUALS 
WITH 
CERTAIN 
CHRONIC 
HEALTH CONDITIONS. 
(a) COVERAGE.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Section 1861(s)(2) of the 
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(s)(2)) is 
amended— 
(A) in subparagraph (EE), by striking 
‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(B) in subparagraph (FF), by inserting 
‘‘and’’ at the end; and 
(C) by inserting after subparagraph (FF) 
the following new subparagraph: 
‘‘(GG) applicable remote patient monitoring 
services for individuals with certain chronic health 
conditions (as defined in subsection (iii));’’. 
(2) COVERAGE AS RURAL HEALTH CLINIC SERV-
ICES AND FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTER 
SERVICES.—Section 1861(aa) of the Social Security 
Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x(aa)) is amended— 
(A) in paragraph (1)— 
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(i) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘, 
and’’ and inserting a comma; 
(ii) in subparagraph (C), by inserting 
‘‘and’’ after the comma at the end; and 
(iii) by inserting after subparagraph 
(C) the following new subparagraph: 
‘‘(D) applicable remote patient monitoring serv-
ices for individuals with certain chronic health condi-
tions (as defined in subsection (iii)),’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (3)— 
(i) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘; 
and’’ and inserting a semicolon; 
(ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 
the comma and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(iii) by inserting after subparagraph 
(B) the following new subparagraph: 
‘‘(C) applicable remote patient monitoring 
services for individuals with certain chronic 
health conditions (as defined in subsection 
(iii)),’’. 
(b) SERVICES DESCRIBED.—Section 1861 of the So-
cial Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x) is amended by adding 
at the end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(iii) REMOTE PATIENT MONITORING SERVICES FOR 
INDIVIDUALS WITH CERTAIN CHRONIC HEALTH CONDI-
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TIONS.—(1)(A) The term ‘applicable remote patient moni-
toring services for individuals with certain chronic health 
conditions’ means remote patient monitoring services (as 
defined in subparagraph (B)) furnished to an applicable 
individual (as defined in subparagraph (C)) under general 
supervision of the provider, with the exception of those 
services covered under subsection (s)(1). 
‘‘(B) The term ‘remote patient monitoring services’ 
means personal medical data transmitted from an applica-
ble individual in one location via electronic communica-
tions technologies to an eligible provider (as defined in 
subparagraph (D)) in a different location and used by the 
eligible provider in furnishing remote patient monitoring 
services to such individual that complies with the Federal 
regulations (concerning the privacy and security of indi-
vidually identifiable health information) promulgated 
under section 264(c) of the Health Insurance Portability 
and Accountability Act of 1996, as part of an established 
plan of care for that individual that includes the review 
and interpretation of that data by an eligible provider. 
Such term includes those services furnished in a Federally 
qualified health center or a rural health clinic. 
‘‘(C) The term ‘applicable individual’ means an indi-
vidual— 
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‘‘(i) with 2 or more covered chronic conditions 
(as defined in paragraph (2)); and 
‘‘(ii) who has a history of 2 or more hospitaliza-
tions or emergency room visits related to such cov-
ered chronic conditions of the individual in the pre-
ceding 12 months. 
‘‘(D) The term ‘eligible provider’ means a physician 
(as defined in section 1861(r)) or a practitioner described 
in section 1842(b)(18)(C). 
‘‘(E) The Secretary shall establish procedures under 
which eligible providers who furnish remote patient moni-
toring services are required to annually submit data on 
applicable quality measures under sections 1848 and 
1833(z). 
‘‘(2)(A) For purposes of paragraph (1)(C), subject to 
subparagraph (B), the term ‘covered chronic condition’ 
means— 
‘‘(i) a condition that qualifies an individual for 
chronic care management services under section 
1848(b)(8); and 
‘‘(ii) any other condition the Secretary may 
specify. 
‘‘(B) If the Chief Actuary of the Centers for Medicare 
& Medicaid Services determines that the inclusion of a 
condition described in subparagraph (A) in the definition 
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of the term ‘covered chronic condition’ under such sub-
paragraph will result in increased expenditures under this 
title, the Secretary shall make adjustments to such defini-
tion to eliminate such increased expenditures. 
‘‘(3)(A) Payment may be made under this part for 
applicable remote patient monitoring services for individ-
uals with certain chronic health conditions furnished to 
an applicable individual during a period of up to 90 days 
(beginning with the commencement of such services) and 
such additional period as provided for under subparagraph 
(B). 
‘‘(B) The 90-day period described in subparagraph 
(A), with respect to an applicable individual, may be re-
newed by the eligible provider who provides chronic care 
management services to such individual if the individual 
has had one or more hospitalizations, not including emer-
gency room visits, related to the covered chronic conditions 
of the individual described in paragraph (1)(C) since the 
beginning of such period.’’. 
(c) PAYMENT.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Section 1848(j)(3) of the 
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w–4(j)(3)) is 
amended by inserting ‘‘(2)(GG),’’ after ‘‘health risk 
assessment),’’. 
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(2) RURAL HEALTH CLINIC SERVICES AND FED-
ERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTER SERVICES.— 
Section 1833 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395l) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new subsection: 
‘‘(aa) PAYMENT FOR APPLICABLE REMOTE PATIENT 
MONITORING SERVICES FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH CERTAIN 
CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITIONS FURNISHED BY A RURAL 
HEALTH CLINIC OR A FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH 
CENTER.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in 
the case of applicable remote patient monitoring services 
for individuals with certain chronic health conditions (as 
defined in section 1861(iii)) furnished by a rural health 
clinic or a Federally qualified health center under para-
graphs (1) and (3), respectively, of section 1861(aa), pay-
ment shall be made in an amount equal to the national 
average payment amount for such service, as determined 
by the Secretary, in accordance with section 1848 (without 
regard to any adjustment under subsections (a)(5), (a)(7), 
(a)(8), (p), or (q) of such section).’’. 
(d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this section shall apply to services furnished on or after 
January 1, 2017. 
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SEC. 302. ALLOWING TELEHEALTH TO MEET MONTHLY CLI-
NICIAN IN-PERSON VISIT REQUIREMENT FOR 
CERTAIN HOME DIALYSIS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1881(b)(3) of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395rr(b)(3)) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) and 
(B) as clauses (i) and (ii), respectively; 
(2) in clause (ii), as redesignated by subpara-
graph (A), strike ‘‘on a comprehensive’’ and insert 
‘‘subject to subparagraph (B), on a comprehensive’’; 
(3) by striking ‘‘With respect to’’ and inserting 
‘‘(A) With respect to’’; and 
(4) by adding at the end the following new sub-
paragraph: 
‘‘(B) For purposes of subparagraph (A)(ii), an 
individual determined to have end stage renal dis-
ease receiving home dialysis may elect to receive the 
monthly end stage renal disease-related visits via 
telehealth if the individual receives an in-person ex-
amination at least once every three consecutive 
months. For purposes of the preceding sentence, a 
dialysis facility shall be the originating site at which 
the individual is located at the time the service is 
furnished via telehealth.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 1881(b)(1) 
of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1395rr(b)(1)) is amended by strik-
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ing ‘‘paragraph (3)(A)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraph 
(3)(A)(i)’’. 
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this subsection shall apply with respect to the monthly fee 
or other basis of payment for home dialysis services fur-
nished on or after January 1, 2017. 
SEC. 303. ALLOWING STROKE EVALUATION SITES AND NA-
TIVE AMERICAN HEALTH SERVICE FACILI-
TIES AS SITES ELIGIBLE FOR TELEHEALTH 
PAYMENT. 
(a) 
STROKE
EVALUATION
SITES.—Section 
1834(m)(4)(C) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395m(m)(4)(C)) is amended— 
(1) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘The term’’ and 
inserting ‘‘Subject to clause (iii), the term’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new 
clause: 
‘‘(iii) STROKE
TELEHEALTH
SERV-
ICES.—The originating site requirements 
described in clauses (i) and (ii) shall not 
apply with respect to services related to the 
evaluation or management of an acute 
stroke for the purpose of determining opti-
mal acute stroke therapy.’’. 
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(b) NATIVE AMERICAN HEALTH SERVICE FACILI-
TIES.—Section 1834(m)(4)(C) of the Social Security Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1395m(m)(4)(C)), as amended by subsection 
(a), is amended— 
(1) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘clause (iii)’’ and 
inserting ‘‘clauses (iii) and (iv)’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new 
clause: 
‘‘(iv) 
NATIVE
AMERICAN
HEALTH 
SERVICE FACILITIES.—The originating site 
requirements described in clauses (i) and 
(ii) shall not apply with respect to a facil-
ity of the Indian Health Service, whether 
operated by such Service, or by an Indian 
tribe (as that term is defined in section 4 
of the Indian Health Care Improvement 
Act (25 U.S.C. 1603)) or a tribal organiza-
tion (as that term is defined in section 4 
of the Indian Self-Determination and Edu-
cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b)), 
or a facility of the Native Hawaiian health 
care systems authorized under the Native 
Hawaiian Health Care Improvement Act 
(42 U.S.C. 11701 et seq.).’’. 
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(c) NO ORIGINATING SITE FACILITY FEE FOR NEW 
SITES.—Section 1834(m)(2)(B) of the Social Security Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1395m(m)(2)(B)) is amended, in the matter 
preceding clause (i), by inserting ‘‘(other than an origi-
nating site that is only described in clause (iii) or (iv) of 
paragraph (4)(C), and does not meet the requirement for 
an originating site under clause (i) of such paragraph)’’ 
after ‘‘the originating site’’. 
(d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this section shall apply to services furnished on or after 
January 1, 2017. 
SEC. 304. RURAL HEALTH CLINICS AND FEDERALLY QUALI-
FIED HEALTH CENTERS AUTHORIZED TO BE 
DISTANT SITES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1834(m) of the Social Se-
curity Act (42 U.S.C. 1395m(m)) is amended— 
(1) in the first sentence of paragraph (1)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘or a practitioner (de-
scribed in section 1842(b)(18)(C))’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘, a practitioner (described in section 
1842(b)(18)(C)), a Federally qualified health 
center, or a rural health clinic’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘or practitioner’’ and in-
serting ‘‘, practitioner, Federally qualified 
health center, or rural health clinic’’; 
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(2) in paragraph (2)(A)— 
(A) by inserting the following after ‘‘eligi-
ble telehealth individual’’: ‘‘or to a Federally 
qualified health center or rural health clinic 
that serves as a distant site and whose clinician 
furnishes a telehealth service to an eligible tele-
health individual’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘such physician or practi-
tioner’’ and inserting ‘‘such physician, practi-
tioner, Federally qualified health center, or 
rural health clinic’’; and 
(3) in paragraph (4)(A), by inserting the fol-
lowing before the period at the end: ‘‘and includes 
a Federally qualified health center or rural health 
clinic whose clinician furnishes a telehealth service to 
an eligible individual’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this section shall apply to services furnished on or after 
January 1, 2017. 
SEC. 305. ADDRESSING GAPS IN QUALITY MEASURES FOR 
TELEHEALTH AND REMOTE PATIENT MONI-
TORING SERVICES. 
Section 1848(s)(1)(C) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1395w–4(s)(1)(C)) is amended— 
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(1) by redesignating clauses (i) through (iv) as 
subclauses (I) through (IV), respectively, and in-
denting appropriately; 
(2) by striking ‘‘CONSIDERATION.—In devel-
oping’’ and inserting ‘‘CONSIDERATION.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Subject to clause 
(ii), in developing’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new 
clause: 
‘‘(ii) ADDRESSING GAPS IN MEASURES 
FOR TELEHEALTH AND REMOTE PATIENT 
MONITORING
SERVICES.—Consistent with 
this subsection, the Secretary shall ensure 
that the plan identifying measure develop-
ment priorities and timelines developed 
under this subsection addresses relevant 
gaps in measures with respect to telehealth 
services, remote patient monitoring serv-
ices, and the use of such services to ad-
dress health disparities (as described in 
section 1890(b)(1)(B)(ii)) that are not oth-
erwise addressed through existing quality 
measures.’’. 
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TITLE IV—USE OF TELEHEALTH 
AND REMOTE PATIENT MONI-
TORING SERVICES TO PRO-
VIDE BASIC BENEFITS UNDER 
MEDICARE PART C 
SEC. 401. USE OF TELEHEALTH AND REMOTE PATIENT 
MONITORING SERVICES TO PROVIDE BASIC 
BENEFITS UNDER MEDICARE PART C. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1852 of the Social Secu-
rity Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w–22) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(1)(B)(i), by striking ‘‘part, 
the term’’ and inserting ‘‘part, subject to subsection 
(m), the term’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(m) USE OF TELEHEALTH AND REMOTE PATIENT 
MONITORING SERVICES TO PROVIDE BASIC BENEFITS.— 
For plan year 2017 and subsequent plan years, the fol-
lowing shall apply: 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An MA plan may elect to 
use telehealth or remote patient monitoring services 
to provide benefits under the original medicare fee- 
for-service program option, including items or serv-
ices furnished to treat medical or behavioral health 
conditions. 
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‘‘(2) 
WAIVER
OF
LIMITATIONS.—Notwith-
standing any other provision of law, in the case 
where an MA plan elects to use telehealth or remote 
patient monitoring services to provide such benefits, 
with respect to enrollees, such services may be fur-
nished without application of any provision under 
section 1834(m) or any other provision of this Act 
that applies a limitation on what qualifies as an 
originating site, any geographic limitation (subject 
to State licensing requirements), any limitation on 
the use of store-and-forward technologies, or any 
limitation on the type of health care provider who 
may furnish such services (provided the provider is 
a Medicare enrolled provider). 
‘‘(3) TREATMENT AS BASIC BENEFITS.—In the 
case where an MA plan makes such election under 
paragraph (1), the use of such telehealth or remote 
patient monitoring services shall be considered part 
of the provision of benefits under the original medi-
care fee-for-service program option for purpose of 
this part. 
‘‘(4) AVAILABILITY OF BENEFITS IN PERSON.— 
In the case where an MA plan makes such election 
under paragraph (1), any benefits provided using 
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such telehealth services shall continue to be made 
available in person to enrollees under the plan. 
‘‘(5) PROVISION OF DATA.—An MA plan that 
makes such an election under paragraph (1) with re-
spect to a plan year shall provide to the Secretary 
(at such time and in such manner as the Secretary 
may specify) data on expenditures and utilization for 
telehealth or remote patient monitoring services 
under the plan for enrollees during that plan year.’’. 
(b) CLARIFICATION REGARDING INCLUSION IN BID 
AMOUNT.—Section 1854(a)(6)(A)(ii)(I) of the Social Se-
curity Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w–24(a)(6)(A)(ii)(I)) is 
amended by inserting ‘‘, including, for plan year 2017 and 
subsequent plan years, the use of telehealth or remote pa-
tient monitoring services to provide such benefits as de-
scribed in section 1852(m)’’ before the semicolon at the 
end. 
(c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec-
tion shall be construed as affecting the furnishing of items 
or services under the original Medicare fee-for-service pro-
gram. 
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TITLE 
V—CLARIFICATION 
RE-
GARDING TELEHEALTH AND 
REMOTE 
PATIENT 
MONI-
TORING TECHNOLOGIES PRO-
VIDED TO BENEFICIARIES 
SEC. 501. CLARIFICATION REGARDING TELEHEALTH AND 
REMOTE 
PATIENT 
MONITORING 
TECH-
NOLOGIES PROVIDED TO BENEFICIARIES. 
Section 1128A(i)(6) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1320a–7a(i)(6)) is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (H), by striking ‘‘; or’’ and 
inserting a semicolon; 
(2) in subparagraph (I), by striking the period 
at the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new sub-
paragraph: 
‘‘(J) the provision of telehealth or remote 
patient monitoring technologies to individuals 
under title XVIII by a health care provider for 
the purpose of furnishing telehealth or remote 
patient monitoring services.’’. 
Æ 
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