Title: Medicare Home Health Flexibility Act
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Medicare Home Health Flexibility Act
This bill establishes circumstances under which an occupational therapist may conduct an initial or comprehensive assessment for an individual who is eligible for home health services under Medicare. Specifically, an occupational therapist may conduct the assessment if the physician's referral order does not include skilled nursing care but does include: (1) occupational therapy, and (2) physical therapy or speech language pathology.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6225 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6225

  To permit occupational therapists to conduct the initial assessment 
 visit and complete the comprehensive assessment under a Medicare home 
         health plan of care for certain rehabilitation cases.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 26, 2018

 Mr. Smith of Missouri (for himself, Mr. Costello of Pennsylvania, Mr. 
   Doggett, and Mr. Tonko) introduced the following bill; which was 
  referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the 
   Committee on Energy and Commerce, 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 permit occupational therapists to conduct the initial assessment 
 visit and complete the comprehensive assessment under a Medicare home 
         health plan of care for certain rehabilitation cases.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Medicare Home Health Flexibility 
Act''.

SEC. 2. PERMITTING OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS TO CONDUCT THE INITIAL 
              ASSESSMENT VISIT AND COMPLETE THE COMPREHENSIVE 
              ASSESSMENT UNDER A MEDICARE HOME HEALTH PLAN OF CARE FOR 
              CERTAIN REHABILITATION CASES.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding section 484.55(a)(2) or 
484.55(b)(3) of title 42, Code of Federal Regulations, or any other 
provision of law, an occupational therapist may be designated to 
conduct the initial assessment visit and to complete the comprehensive 
assessment for an individual who is eligible for home health services 
under title XVIII of the Social Security Act if the referral order by 
the physician--
            (1) does not include skilled nursing care;
            (2) includes occupation therapy; and
            (3) includes physical therapy or speech language pathology.
    (b) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in subsection (a) shall be 
construed to provide for initial eligibility for coverage of home 
health services under title XVIII of the Social Security Act solely on 
the basis of a need for occupational therapy.
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