On the recordSeptember 9, 2014
I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4067, a bill to provide for the extension of the enforcement instruction on supervision requirements for outpatient therapeutic services in critical access and small rural hospitals through 2014. I was proud to introduce this legislation in February, and I am pleased that Chairman Upton and the Energy and Commerce Committee reported it favorably and brought it to the House floor today. The 83 critical access hospitals in Kansas are the lifeblood of our rural communities, and one of the many challenges these communities face is access to health care. The presence of a facility such as a critical access hospital in a community could be the deciding factor in whether or not the next generation of children decide to raise their family in their hometown, or perhaps whether or not a business decides to locate there. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services made a decision on January 1 of this year that will make it more difficult for these rural hospitals to serve their communities. CMS informed these hospitals that physicians are now required to directly supervise outpatient services, such as drawing blood and activity therapy. This is a change in policy that will put a strain on providers while providing no quality improvements for the patients they serve. This bill will correct that problem by reinstating the moratorium on enforcement of these unnecessary regulations.…
