New bill would codify Medicare reimbursement for telehealth services

U.S. Reps. G.K. Butterfield, D-North Carolina, and Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., introduced new legislation this week that would provide for permanent Medicare payments for telehealth services at federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics. The Helping Ensure Access to Local TeleHealth, or HEALTH Act, would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to revise the Code of Federal Regulations to consider telehealth services from an eligible facility to be a "visit." "Access to telehealth has become more than just a convenience, but rather a critical necessity in America," said Butterfield in a statement. "All patients, particularly our Medicare recipients, are in need of a solution to ensure access to telehealth services are free from undue barriers and restrictions."