House Energy and Commerce Committee advances two year telehealth extension, extends hospital at home program to 2029

The House Energy and Commerce Committee Sept. 18 advanced legislation on expiring telehealth and hospital-at-home flexibilities. The AHA supported the passage of the Telehealth Modernization Act, which extended telehealth flexibilities for two years that are set to expire Dec. 31 and included a five-year extension of the hospital-at-home program. AHA opposed Section 404 of the bill, which would require a separate identification number and an attestation for each off-campus outpatient department of a provider. The committee also passed an AHA-supported measure calling for Congress to disapprove of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' enforcement of minimum staffing standards for long-term care facilities.