Medicare Telehealth Enhancement Act of 2008

Bill: 110-hr-6163
Sponsor: Rep. Thompson, Mike [D-CA-1]
Introduced: 2008-05-22 in the House
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Access to health care
Case management
Chronically ill
Economics and Public Finance
Federal aid to health facilities
Government Operations and Politics
Health facilities
Home care services
Housing and Community Development
Interstate relations
Law
Licenses
Medical personnel
Medicare
Rural health
Science, Technology, Communications
Social Welfare
Telemedicine

Summary:
action_date: 2008-05-22
text: 
Medicare Telehealth Enhancement Act of 2008 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act regarding telehealth services (furnished via a telecommunication system by a physician to an enrolled individual).
 
Removes current geographic restrictions on the provision of such services.
 
Adds to the types of facilities authorized to participate in the telehealth program.
 
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to encourage and facilitate the adoption of state reciprocity agreements for practitioner licensure in order to expedite the provision of telehealth services across state lines.
 
Directs the Secretary to include as a home health visit for Medicare purposes telehealth services furnished an individual by a home health agency.
 

 
Provides for coverage of remote patient management services, including home health remote patient management services, for certain chronic health conditions.
 
Directs the Secretary to establish a demonstration project to evaluate the impact and benefits of covering remote patient management services for certain chronic health conditions.
 
Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth (of the Health Resources and Services Administration), to make grants to expand access via telehealth to health care services for individuals in medically underserved rural, frontier, and urban areas.
 
Amends the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize telehealth network and telehealth resource centers grant programs.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-06-02
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2008-05-22
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2008-05-22
text: 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.
action_date: 2008-05-22
text: 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.
action_date: 2008-05-22
text: 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.
action_date: 2008-05-22
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2008-05-22
text: Introduced in House