Telehealth Innovation and Improvement Act of 2019
Latest action · Mar 13, 2019 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMar 13, 2019
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Telehealth Innovation and Improvement Act of 2019
This bill establishes (1) a telehealth service model, and (2) Medicare payment rules with respect to certain services tested under the model.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) shall test Medicare coverage of expanded telehealth services, as defined by the bill, in conjunction with existing models that test the use of accountable care organizations, bundled payments, and other coordinated care models under Medicare. The CMS must (1) establish a methodology for determining the amounts of payment for such services, and (2) provide for evaluations of the service model by an independent entity.
The CMS shall expand the application of a service tested under the model if (1) the required evaluation demonstrates that the service either reduced Medicare spending without reducing the quality of care or improved the quality of care without increasing spending, and (2) the Chief Actuary of the CMS certifies that such expansion would reduce net program spending. A service that meets these requirements is defined by the bill as a certified enhanced telehealth service.
Medicare payment for a certified enhanced telehealth service shall equal 80% of the lesser of (1) the actual charge for the service, or (2) the amount determined using the payment methodology established under the test model.
The CMS shall pay for such services without regard to a Medicare beneficiary's location or area of residence.
Cosponsors 1
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Mar 13, 2019.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-MI | Gary C. Peters | Original | Mar 13, 2019 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Finance Committee | Referred Mar 13, 2019 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Mar 13, 2019Introduced in Senate
- Mar 13, 2019Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 787 | Telehealth Innovation and Improvement Act of 2017 | Reintroduction of | Mar 30, 2017 |
| HR 4013 | Telehealth Innovation and Improvement Act of 2019 | Identical bill | Jul 26, 2019 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to require the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to test the effect of including telehealth services in Medicare health care delivery reform models.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Telehealth Innovation and Improvement Act of 2019
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Health.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Mar 13, 2019Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
