U.S. Rep. John Joyce (R-PA) on Dec. 5 proposed a bipartisan bill that would extend certain in-home cardiopulmonary rehabilitation telehealth services established in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Offering patients the option to access care at home is a key part of my commitment to putting patients first in the healthcare system while improving health outcomes,” Rep. Joyce said on Dec. 6.
The congressman sponsored the Sustainable Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Services in the Home Act, H.R. 9427, with three original cosponsors, including U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), to permanently allow patients to continue receiving in-home cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation services under Medicare.
“As a physician, I know the benefits of empowering patients to heal at home,” said Rep. Joyce. “This legislation is an important step toward ensuring that cardiac and pulmonary-care patients are able to recover and rehabilitate from the comfort and safety of their home or in the care setting of their choice.”
During the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services temporarily allowed certain cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation programs to be reimbursed for services provided or supervised virtually in a patient’s home, according to information provided by Rep. Joyce’s office.
If enacted, H.R. 9427 would safeguard the continuation of this care at the end of the current waiver period, and would help ensure that all eligible patients are enrolled in, and have access to, necessary cardiac rehabilitation programs, the information says.
“The Sustainable Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Services in the Home Act will help patients get out of the hospital, get back home, and get on the road to recovery,” said Rep. Panetta. “This bill constructively applies one of the major lessons from the pandemic to improve access and quality of care for millions of Americans.”
The measure is supported by Dr. Dean Ornish, founder and president of the nonprofit Preventive Medicine Research Institute and clinical professor of medicine at the San Francisco and San Diego campuses of the University of California; Terry Rogers, president of Pritikin ICR; and Dr. Ed Wu, co-founder, chief operating officer, and chief medical officer at Recora.