<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><BillSummaries>
    <item congress="117" measure-type="hr" measure-number="6202" measure-id="id117hr6202" originChamber="HOUSE" orig-publish-date="2021-12-09" update-date="2022-05-16">
        <title>Telehealth Extension Act of 2021</title>
        <summary summary-id="id117hr6202v00" currentChamber="HOUSE" update-date="2022-05-16">
            <action-date>2021-12-09</action-date>
            <action-desc>Introduced in House</action-desc>
            <summary-text><![CDATA[ <p><b>Telehealth Extension Act of 2021</b></p> <p>This bill expands and otherwise modifies coverage of telehealth services under Medicare.</p> <p>Specifically, the bill permanently (1) removes geographic restrictions on originating sites (i.e., the location of the beneficiary), (2) allows the home of the beneficiary to serve as the originating site for all services, and (3) allows federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics to serve as the distant site (i.e., the location of the health care practitioner).</p> <p>The bill also extends any Medicare telehealth flexibilities that were granted during the COVID-19 public health emergency until two years after the emergency ends and generally allows such flexibilities to be granted during any public health emergency. </p> <p>In addition, the bill (1) allows for Medicare payment of outpatient critical access hospital services consisting of telehealth behavioral therapy until two years after the COVID-19 public health emergency ends; and (2) after the emergency ends, conditions payment for certain high-cost laboratory tests and durable medical equipment that are ordered via telehealth on at least one in-person visit during the preceding six-month period.</p>]]></summary-text>
        </summary>
    </item>
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        <dc:language>EN</dc:language>
        <dc:rights>Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.</dc:rights>
        <dc:contributor>Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress</dc:contributor>
        <dc:description>This file contains bill summaries for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.</dc:description>
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</BillSummaries>
