Rep. Mike Thompson
Reps. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) and Glenn Thompson (R-Penn.) are set to introduce a bill, the Medicare Telehealth Parity Act of 2014, into the House of Representatives next week that would be a major step forward in expanding the use of telemedicine across the country.
Currently, Medicare only reimburses for telemedicine services rendered to patients living outside metropolitan statistical areas; this bill, according to Becker's Hospital CIO, would extend coverage to those living in an MSA of fewer than 50,000 residents after six months, to those in MSAs of between 50,000 and 100,000 people in two years and to any Medicare beneficiary in four years. The bill would also expand telemedicine services eligible for reimbursement to include many outpatient therapy services and provide coverage for remote patient monitoring and other home-based telemedicine services.
The bill would add a new subsection on remote patient monitoring to the portion of the Social Security Act that defines all the possible tools that fall under the legal definition of “medical and other health services” reimbursable under Medicare.
In CMS' proposed update to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for the 2015 calendar year, annual wellness visits, psychotherapy, psychoanalysis and "prolonged evaluation of management services" would be covered under Medicare. Wellness visits would include a personalized prevention plan of service, an initial visit and a subsequent visit.
The bill excludes reimbursement language for Medicaid, CHIP, TRICARE, federal employee plans, and the VA due to costs.
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