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

The House Energy and Commerce Committee yesterday advanced legislation on expiring telehealth and hospital-at-home flexibilities. AONL and 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 AONL and 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. (AHA News article, 9/19/24)