The House passed its short-term resolution Tuesday evening, temporarily funding the government through March 23. However, some of the bill's measures may be more permanent, according to Politico Morning eHealth newsletter.
Here are five things to know about how the stopgap bill affects telehealth.
1. The bill includes large portions of the Senate Finance Committee's Creating High-Quality Results and Outcomes Necessary to Improve Chronic Care Act of 2017, a proposal that would increase telehealth reimbursement for patients with chronic conditions on Medicare Advantage plans.
2. The House's resolution would also expand access to stroke telehealth services.
3. Lawmakers tweaked meaningful use regulation as part of the resolution. The bill was laced with Rep. Michael Burgess', MD, R-Texas, proposal to remove a requirement of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act that would require HHS secretary make meaningful use more stringent overtime.
4. "We are very hopeful these provisions stay in the Senate version. The language is bicameral and bipartisan so we are hopeful," Alliance for Connected Care's Executive Director Krista Drobac told Politico.
5. The House's legislation now heads to the Senate, where lawmakers are still negotiating the short-term funding bill. The House bill is expected to undergo significant changes in the Senate that could jeopardize the support of many House Republicans, according to CNBC.