House companion to PARTS Act introduced

Rep. Kristi Noem (R-SD) today introduced a House companion to the Protecting Access to Rural Therapy Services (PARTS) Act (S. 257/H.R. 1611). The AHA-supported legislation would adopt a default standard of general supervision for outpatient therapeutic services to protect access to health care services in rural communities and provide needed relief for critical access hospitals, which are often constrained by workforce and physician shortages and other unique circumstances. The bill also would create an exceptions process for risky and complex outpatient services that require a higher level of supervision; and would hold hospitals and CAHs harmless from civil or criminal action regarding the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ retroactive reinterpretation of “direct supervision” requirements for the period 2001 through 2015.