The Home Health Emergency Access to Telehealth (HEAT) Act was introduced on a bipartisan, bicameral basis by Senators Collins (R-ME) and Cardin (D-MD) and Representatives Marshall (R-KS), Sewell (D-AL), Arrington (R-TX), and Thompson (D-CA). Under current law, Medicare cannot reimburse home health agencies for delivering care through technology. The Home Health Emergency Access to Telehealth (HEAT) Act would provide home health agencies the ability to receive reimbursement for providing telehealth visits with appropriate guardrails to protect patients and families. The HEAT Act would put home health agencies on par with all other health care providers with regards to flexibility during the ongoing and future public health emergencies, which is critically important for the older adults and those home health agencies who serve them.
See the news release here.