<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><BillSummaries>
    <item congress="117" measure-type="s" measure-number="3593" measure-id="id117s3593" originChamber="SENATE" orig-publish-date="2022-02-08" update-date="2022-05-27">
        <title>Telehealth Extension and Evaluation Act</title>
        <summary summary-id="id117s3593v00" currentChamber="SENATE" update-date="2022-05-27">
            <action-date>2022-02-08</action-date>
            <action-desc>Introduced in Senate</action-desc>
            <summary-text><![CDATA[ <p><b>Telehealth Extension </b><b>and Evaluation Act</b></p> <p>This bill expands and otherwise modifies coverage of telehealth services under Medicare until two years after the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency.</p> <p>Specifically, the bill (1) allows federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics to serve as the distant site (i.e., the location of the health care practitioner), (2) allows for Medicare payment of outpatient critical access hospital services consisting of telehealth behavioral therapy, (3) 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 12-month period, and (4) allows Schedule II through V controlled substances to be prescribed online if a practitioner has conducted a telehealth evaluation with video.</p> <p>The bill also generally extends any Medicare telehealth flexibilities that were granted during the COVID-19 public health emergency until two years after the emergency ends. </p> <p>The Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services (CMS) must report on the effects of changes that were made during the emergency period with respect to the provision or availability of telehealth services under Medicare. The CMS must also award grants to state Medicaid programs to allow them to report on similar information. </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>
