ASHA members are needed to advocate in support of new legislation that allows audiologists and speech-language pathologists to be reimbursed by Medicare for providing telehealth services. The Medicare Telehealth Parity Act of 2014 (H.R. 5380) was introduced by Representatives Mike Thompson (D-CA) and Gregg Harper (R-MS). In addition to providing reimbursement for telehealth services, this legislation will designate the beneficiary’s home as an “originating site” for home health services so that they do not need to travel to a medical facility to receive services via telehealth. Providers will not have to travel to do in-person visits to get reimbursed.
Please write your Representative and request that they cosponsor this important legislation!
Presently, Medicare only reimburses for telehealth services that are administered in rural counties and health shortage areas in metropolitan fringes with the patient located at a health facility/“originating site.” Telehealth services may only be administered by a select group of practitioners, none of whom are audiologists or speech-language pathologists.
This legislation is the latest bill addressing telehealth services in the Medicare program in the 113th Congress. ASHA members visiting Washington to meet with their members of Congress were successful in lobbying for the inclusion of audiologists and speech-language pathologists in H.R. 5380 as providers of telehealth services under Medicare. The next step is to garner support from other Representatives to help move this bill forward.
For more information on this legislation, please contact Sam Hewitt, ASHA's director of political advocacy, at 02-624-5961.
