U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Thad Cochran (R-MS) recently stated that they support a cost-saving legislation that could increase accessibility to home health services by enhancing healthcare.
The legislation, titled the Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act (S.578), is sponsored by Susan Collins (R-ME). If passed, this act could enable nurse practitioners to certify when patients are eligible for home health services through Medicare.
“By eliminating a burdensome bureaucratic step, this legislation would help increase the productivity and efficiency of health care throughout our nation,” Wicker said. “Considering the large percentage of nurse practitioners currently serving as primary care providers, it only makes sense for them to be able to certify patients for Medicare’s home health services. I applaud Sen. Collins’s leadership on this issue.”
This is meant to
improve patients’ timely access to these home health services, as well as to
decrease the cost of Medicare by ending duplicative bureaucratic
requirements.
“Complex and redundant federal regulations too often stand between patients and the health care services they need,” Cochran said. “This is true especially in rural areas, where even minor problems can be amplified by a lack of medical access. This bill would make a small change that will have a big impact on the lives of many people in Mississippi, and I commend Sen. Collins for her work championing this issue.”