Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) has reintroduced the Fostering Independence Through Technology Act, which would expand the use of telehealth technology under Medicare in rural and other underserved communities across the nation, according to a news release.
The bipartisan FITT Act, which was first proposed in 2009, would create a pilot program to provide incentives for home health agencies across the country to use home monitoring and communications technologies, giving seniors and other Medicare beneficiaries greater access to the care they need while enabling them to stay in their homes. The proposed annual incentive payments would be based on a percentage of the Medicare savings achieved as a result of telehealth services.
Read the news release about the reintroduction of the FITT Act.
Read other coverage about health IT legislation:
- HHS Proposes Paying States to Data-Mine for Medicaid Fraud
- OCR Seeks More Funding for HIPAA Enforcement
- Montana Republican Budget Seeks to Turn Away $35M in ARRA Incentives
The bipartisan FITT Act, which was first proposed in 2009, would create a pilot program to provide incentives for home health agencies across the country to use home monitoring and communications technologies, giving seniors and other Medicare beneficiaries greater access to the care they need while enabling them to stay in their homes. The proposed annual incentive payments would be based on a percentage of the Medicare savings achieved as a result of telehealth services.
Read the news release about the reintroduction of the FITT Act.
Read other coverage about health IT legislation:
- HHS Proposes Paying States to Data-Mine for Medicaid Fraud
- OCR Seeks More Funding for HIPAA Enforcement
- Montana Republican Budget Seeks to Turn Away $35M in ARRA Incentives