Rural Access to Hospice Act of 2019

Bill: 116-hr-2594
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Kind, Ron [D-WI-3]
Introduced: 2019-05-08
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Health facilities and institutions

Health personnel

Long-term, rehabilitative, and terminal care

Medicare

Rural conditions and development
Latest action: action_date: 2019-05-09
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Summaries:
action_date: 2019-05-08
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Rural Access to Hospice Act of 2019</b></p> <p>This bill allows federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and rural health centers (RHCs) to receive payment under Medicare for hospice services. Currently, attending physicians who work for FQHCs and RHCs may provide hospice services only outside of FQHC or RHC work hours and must bill Medicare under their own provider numbers; FQHCs and RHCs may not receive payment under Medicare for such services. </p>

tv_txt: I 116th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 2594 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 8, 2019 Mr. Kind (for himself and Mrs. Walorski ) 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 provide for payments for certain rural health clinic and federally qualified health center services furnished to hospice patients under the Medicare program.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Rural Access to Hospice Act of 2019 . 2. Medicare payment for certain Federally qualified health center and rural health clinic services furnished to hospice patients Section 1834 of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1395m ) is amended— (1) in subsection (o), by adding at the end the following new paragraph: (4) Payment for attending physician services furnished by Federally qualified health centers to hospice patients In the case of services described in section 1812(d)(2)(A)(ii) furnished on or after January 1, 2020, by an attending physician (as defined in section 1861(dd)(3)(B), other than a physician or practitioner who is employed by a hospice program) who is employed by or working under contract with a Federally qualified health center, a Federally qualified health center shall be paid for such services under the prospective payment system under this subsection. ; and (2) by adding at the end the following new subsection: (x) Payment for attending physician services furnished by rural health clinics to hospice patients In the case of services described in section 1812(d)(2)(A)(ii) furnished on or after January 1, 2020, by an attending physician (as defined in section 1861(dd)(3)(B), other than a physician or practitioner who is employed by a hospice program) who is employed by or working under contract with a rural health clinic, a rural health clinic shall be paid for such services under the methodology for all-inclusive rates (established by the Secretary) under section 1833(a)(3), subject to the limits described in section 1833(f). .