Kelly, Smith offer bipartisan bill to expand type of eligible telehealth providers

U.S. Reps. Mike Kelly (R-PA) and Adrian Smith (R-NE) recently introduced a bipartisan bill that would expand the type of eligible practitioners that could furnish telehealth services.

“I am pleased to lead the expansion of these critical services to cover more practitioners who play a vital role in caring for our communities,” Rep. Kelly said on April 30. “This bill makes great strides towards delivering modern solutions to our constituents’ future health care needs.”

Rep. Kelly sponsored H.R. 8151, with original cosponsors Rep. Smith and U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA), to permanently expand the list of practitioners eligible who provide telehealth services to include qualified physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech language pathologists, and audiologists, according to a bill summary provided by the lawmakers.

Currently, these practitioners do not have permanent authorization to deliver electronic or virtual care to their patients, the summary says.

“In recent years, telehealth has proven to be a valuable tool for increasing healthcare access,” said Rep. Smith. “In rural and remote communities like those in Nebraska’s Third District, virtual engagement with providers can eliminate multiple hours of travel for patients in need of treatment.

“We should take advantage of every opportunity to increase healthcare availability and efficiency for our seniors,” he added, “and I am grateful to Reps. Kelly and Thompson for the opportunity to work together on this bill.”

Rep. Thompson said that telehealth is a proven method of delivering health care to patients who need it, especially those in rural, difficult-to-access, and underserved communities. 

“Permanently expanding telehealth capabilities to more practitioners just makes sense,” he said.