Political Quotes

“I rise in support of the Medicare Home Health Flexibility Act of 2015, which I am introducing today with my colleague Senator Heller. This bipartisan, no-cost legislation would allow occupational therapists to perform the initial home health assessment in cases in which occupational therapy is ordered by the physician, along with speech language pathology and/or physical therapy services, and skilled nursing care is not required, ensuring that Medicare beneficiaries receive timely access to essential home health therapy services. Occupational therapy is frequently ordered as part of a physician's plan of care for patients requiring home health services, and, under certain circumstances, an occupational therapist is allowed to perform the comprehensive assessment to determine a Medicare beneficiary's continuing need for home health therapy services. However, under current Medicare law, occupational therapists are not permitted to conduct the initial assessment for home health cases, even when occupational therapy is included in the physician's order and when the case is exclusively related to rehabilitation therapy.…”