Political Quotes

“I am pleased to join with my good friend, Senator Kent Conrad, in introducing the Medicare Telehealth Improvement Act, which improves access for many Medicare beneficiaries by expanding telehealth services. As Senator Conrad has noted, this legislation makes a number of technical corrections to promote telehealth. First, this bill would expand the number of sites that provide telehealth services under Medicare to include nursing homes, dialysis facilities, and community mental health centers. Also, it would expand the list of providers to include physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, and other providers determined appropriate by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Lastly, this bill would require the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to update the list of covered telehealth services, along with the creation of a permanent advisory committee made up of physicians and non-physicians to provide recommendations to the Secretary and continue expansions of telehealth services forward. Michigan providers have been very innovative in using telehealth, often out of necessity because of geographic isolation. Telehealth allows providers to collaborate across great distances and share, rather than duplicate, services. This helps save money and improve patient access.”