SMITH, O'HALLERAN, ARMSTRONG INTRODUCE BIPARTISAN LEGISLATION TO ADVANCE TELEHEALTH FLEXIBILITY

Press Release

Today, Reps. Adrian Smith (R-NE), Tom O'Halleran (D-AZ), and Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) introduced bipartisan legislation to enable rural health providers to continue operating and treating patients by extending telehealth flexibilities implemented during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. The legislation, the Connecting Rural Telehealth to the Future Act, would extend certain telehealth flexibilities for two years, giving patients and providers certainty while Congress works to make them permanent.

Nearly one in five Americans live in rural areas. Across the U.S., 138 rural hospitals have closed since 2010, with 20 closures in 2020 alone. Rural Americans on average are older and have high rates of chronic health conditions.

The members released the following statements:

"Rural Americans are the most impacted by closures of health care facilities," said Smith. "Rural health providers have effectively demonstrated how successful the current temporary telehealth authorizations can be in improving access to care in these areas. Continuing to build on that success will be an important solution to further enhance access to health care services for patients in rural communities. This legislation provides providers and patients the certainty they deserve while Congress works to permanently make telehealth services an option for Americans everywhere."

"Over the past few years, telehealth services have become more critical than ever in connecting rural families--like so many in Arizona's First District--to essential health care," said O'Halleran. "By extending telehealth provisions authorized to accommodate new challenges under the COVID-19 pandemic, our bipartisan bill ensures rural residents can continue to easily and affordably access the quality telehealth options they need."

"One positive advancement made during the pandemic is the increased access to telehealth," said Armstrong. "In rural states like North Dakota, patients often struggle to get the care they need due to a variety of factors, one being distance to the nearest provider. I am proud to support this legislation, which will prevent unnecessary regulatory barriers from hampering the advancement and implementation of telehealth services."

The Connecting Rural Telehealth to the Future Act would:

Extend all temporary telehealth provisions included in the FY22 omnibus through December 31, 2024;
Permanently allow the use of audio-only technologies when providers are evaluating or managing patient health or providing behavioral health services;
Restore Rural Health Clinic and Federally Qualified Health Clinic reimbursements for telehealth services to their normal reimbursement methods; and
Extend allowance for Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) to directly bill for telehealth services.
The Connecting Rural Telehealth to the Future Act is supported by the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), the Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) Coalition, the National Association of Rural Health Clinics (NARHC), and the National Rural Health Association (NRHA).

The groups released the following statements applauding the legislation:

Rachel Gonzales-Hanson, Interim President and CEO of the NACHC, said:

"On behalf of Community Health Centers and the nearly 29 million patients they serve, I want to thank Representative Adrian Smith, Representative Tom O'Halleran, and Representative Armstrong for introducing the Connecting Rural Telehealth to the Future Act, and for championing our seniors' access to health center telehealth care in rural and hard reach areas. This pandemic has shown us the benefits of telehealth, and we simply cannot go backwards after this emergency ends. This legislation is an important step in ensuring health centers can continue to meet the needs of their patients into the future."

The CAH Coalition said:

"The Critical Access Hospital Coalition strongly supports this legislation that allows CAHs to continue to provide telehealth services after the PHE ends and extends some of the most important flexibilities permitted during the PHE. This will serve to benefit patients across the country."

Nathan Baugh, Director of Government Affairs for the NARHC said:

"It is vital that we correct telehealth policies for safety-net providers as soon as possible. While we are thankful for the PHE policy that allows rural health clinics to provide distant site services, at the moment we are neither collecting the data we need nor reimbursing appropriately for Medicare telehealth encounters. The Connecting Rural Telehealth to the Future Act will give rural providers the policy stability necessary to confidently invest in telehealth services for their patients."

Alan Morgan, Chief Executive Officer at the NRHA, said:

"The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) applauds Representatives Smith (R-NE), O'Halleran (D-AZ), and Armstrong (R-ND) for introducing the Connecting Rural Telehealth to the Future Act. The true silver-lining of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the advancement of telehealth flexibilities, however these flexibilities need tweaked to ensure rural utilization of services long-term. The Connecting Rural Telehealth to the Future Act will ensure rural providers, such as Rural Health Clinics and Critical Access Hospitals, are able to continue providing the care their patients deserve and need. NRHA urges Congress to swiftly pass this critical legislation to allow rural providers to participate in the health care delivery system of the 21st century."

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