Congress has temporarily extended key Medicare telehealth flexibilities through December 31, 2027, including the authority for PTs, OTs, and SLPs to furnish Medicare telehealth services. Without additional Congressional action, this authority is scheduled to expire.
We need Congress to act before that happens.
NARA is asking members to contact their Representatives and Senators and urge them to support H.R. 1614 and S. 3834.
These bipartisan legislative efforts would permanently expand the types of practitioners authorized to furnish Medicare telehealth services to include physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists.
Why does this matter?
Telehealth is not intended to replace hands-on rehabilitation. It gives clinicians another tool to provide the right care, at the right time, in the right setting.
For rehabilitation patients, telehealth can help:
- Maintain continuity of care when transportation or mobility creates barriers.
- Improve access for patients in rural and underserved communities.
- Support patients transitioning from hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and other post-acute settings back into the community.
- Allow therapists to assess patients in their actual home environments and provide meaningful education, training, and follow-up.
- Reduce missed visits and improve adherence to treatment plans.
- Extend access to specialized rehabilitation expertise when an appropriate provider may not be available locally.
NARA has consistently advocated for permanent Medicare telehealth authority for qualified rehabilitation professionals because our members have seen firsthand the value this option can provide to patients.
Temporary extensions are not enough.
Rehabilitation organizations need certainty to invest in technology, train clinicians, develop clinical workflows, and incorporate telehealth appropriately into long-term models of care. Patients should not have to wonder whether an established method of receiving necessary rehabilitation services will disappear because another temporary Congressional extension has expired.
December 31, 2027 may sound far away, but permanent policy takes time to move through Congress. The time to build support is now.
Please contact your members of Congress and ask them to:
Support and cosponsor H.R. 1614 in the House and S. 3834 in the Senate and make Medicare telehealth access for PT, OT, and SLP services permanent.
Your Congressional offices need to hear directly from the providers and organizations caring for Medicare beneficiaries. Tell them how telehealth is being used in your organization. Share the barriers your patients face. Explain what losing this flexibility would mean for access to rehabilitation in the communities you serve.
Your experience gives policymakers the real-world perspective they need to make informed decisions. Your voice matters and your voice can move policy!