,i #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #gjgh ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,june #a1 #bjbj,ms4 ,kelly of ,illinois 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,bishop of ,georgia1 ,ms4 ,jackson ,lee1 ,ms4 ,sewell of ,alabama1 ,mr4 ,thompson of ,mississippi1 ,ms4 ,fudge1 ,mr4 ,butterfield1 ,mr4 ,payne1 ,ms4 ,lee of ,california1 and ,mr4 ,cohen7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce1 and in addition to the ,committee on ,ways and ,means1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,a ,,bill ,to study the effects of changes to telehealth under the ,medicare and ,medicaid programs during the ,,covid-#ai emergency4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,evaluating ,disparities and ,outcomes of ,telehealth ,during the ,,covid-#ai ,emergency ,act of #bjbj or the ,,edot ,act of #bjbj4 #b4 ,study on the effects of changes to telehealth under the ,medicare and ,medicaid programs during the ,,covid-#ai emergency 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #a year after the end of the emergency period described in section #aace7;g77#a77;,b7 of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acbj;b-#e7;g77#a77;,b771 the ,secretary of ,health and ,human ,services 7in this section referred to as the ,secretary7 shall conduct a study and submit to the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce and the ,committee on ,ways and ,means of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,committee on ,finance of the ,senate an interim report on any changes made to the provision or availability of telehealth services under part ,a or ,b of title ,,xviii of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acie et seq47 during such period4 ,such report shall include the following3 7#a7 ,a summary of utilization of all health care services furnished under such part ,a or ,b during such period1 including the number of telehealth visits 7broken down by the number of such visits furnished via audio-visual technology1 the number of such visits furnished via audio-only technology1 and the number of such visits furnished by a ,federally qualified health center1 rural health clinic1 or community health center1 respectively1 if practicable71 in-person outpatient visits1 inpatient admissions1 and emergency department visits4 7#b7 ,a description of any changes in utilization patterns for the care settings described in paragraph 7#a7 over the course of such period compared to such patterns prior to such period4 7#c7 ,an analysis of utilization of telehealth services under such part ,a or ,b during such period1 broken down by race and ethnicity1 geographic region1 and income level 7as measured directly or indirectly1 such as by patient's zip code tabulation area median income as publicly reported by the ,united ,states ,census ,bureau71 and of any trends in such utilization during such period1 so broken down4 ,such analysis may not include any personally identifiable information or protected health information4 7#d7 ,a description of expenditures and any savings under such part ,a or ,b attributable to use of such telehealth services during such period4 7#e7 ,a description of any instances of fraud identified by the ,secretary1 acting through the ,office of the ,inspector ,general or other relevant agencies and departments1 with respect to such telehealth services furnished under such part ,a or ,b during such period and a comparison of the number of such instances with the number of instances of fraud so identified with respect to in-person services so furnished during such period4 7#f7 ,a description of any privacy concerns with respect to the furnishing of such telehealth services 7such as cybersecurity or ransomware concerns71 including a description of any actions taken by the ,secretary1 acting through the ,health ,sector ,cybersecurity ,coordination ,center or other relevant agencies and departments1 during such period to assist health care providers secure telecommunications systems4 7b7 ,input ,in conducting the study and submitting the report under subsection 7a71 the ,secretary-- 7#a7 may-- 7,a7 consult with relevant stakeholders 7such as patients1 minority or tribal groups1 medical professionals1 hospitals1 ,state medical boards1 ,state nursing boards1 the ,federation of ,state ,medical ,boards1 ,national ,council of ,state ,boards of ,nursing1 medical professional employers 7such as hospitals1 medical groups1 staffing companies71 telehealth groups1 health professional liability providers1 public and private payers1 and ,state leaders72 and 7,b7 solicit public comments on such report before the submission of such report2 and 7#b7 shall endeavor to include as many racially1 ethnically1 geographically1 and professionally diverse perspectives as possible4 7c7 ,final report ,not later than ,december #ca1 #bjbd1 the ,secretary shall-- 7#a7 update and finalize the interim report under subsection 7a72 and 7#b7 submit such updated and finalized report to the committees specified in such subsection4 7d7 ,grants for ,medicaid reports 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #b years after the end of the emergency period described in section #aace7;g77#a77;,b7 of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4#acbj;b-#e7;g77#a77;,b771 the ,secretary shall award grants to ,states with a ,state plan 7or waiver of such plan7 in effect under title ,,xix of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acifr7 that submit an application under this subsection for purposes of enabling such ,states to study and submit reports to the ,secretary on any changes made to the provision or availability of telehealth services under such plans 7or such waivers7 during such period4 7#b7 ,eligibility ,to be eligible to receive a grant under paragraph 7#a71 a ,state shall-- 7,a7 provide benefits for telehealth services under the ,state plan 7or waiver of such plan7 in effect under title ,,xix of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acifr72 7,b7 be able to differentiate telehealth from in-person visits within claims data submitted under such plan 7or such waiver7 during such period2 and 7,c7 submit to the ,secretary an application at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information 7including the amount of the grant requested7 as the ,secretary may require4 7#c7 ,use of funds ,an ,state shall use amounts received under a grant under this subsection to conduct a study and report findings regarding the effects of changes to telehealth services offered under the ,state plan 7or waiver of such plan7 of such ,state under title ,,xix of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acif et seq47 during such period in accordance with paragraph 7#d74 7#d7 ,reports 7,a7 ,interim report ,not later #a year after the date a ,state receives a grant under this subsection1 the ,state shall submit to the ,secretary an interim report that-- 7i7 details any changes made to the provision or availability of telehealth benefits 7such as eligibility1 coverage1 or payment changes7 under the ,state plan 7or waiver of such plan7 of the ,state under title ,,xix of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acif et seq47 during the emergency period described in paragraph 7#a72 and 7ii7 contains-- 7,i7 a summary and description of the type described in paragraphs 7#a7 and 7#b71 respectively1 of subsection 7a72 and 7,,ii7 to the extent practicable1 an analysis of the type described in paragraph 7#c7 of subsection 7a71 except that any reference in such subsection to such part ,a or ,b shall1 for purposes of subclauses 7,i7 and 7,,ii71 be treated as a reference to such ,state plan 7or waiver74 7,b7 ,final report ,not later than #c years after the date a ,state receives a grant under this subsection1 the ,state shall update and finalize the interim report and submit such final report to the ,secretary4 7,c7 ,report by ,secretary ,not later than the earlier of the date that is #a year after the submission of all final reports under subparagraph 7,b7 and ,december #ca1 #bjbh1 the ,secretary shall submit to ,congress a report on the grant program1 including a summary of the reports received from ,states under this paragraph4 7#e7 ,modification authority ,the ,secretary may modify any deadline described in paragraph 7#d7 or any information required to be included in a report made under this subsection to provide flexibility for ,states to modify the scope of the study and timeline for such reports4 7#f7 ,technical assistance ,the ,secretary shall provide such technical assistance as may be necessary to a ,state receiving a grant under this subsection in order to assist such state in conducting studies and submitting reports under this subsection4 7#g7 ,state ,for purposes of this subsection1 the term ,state means each of the several ,states1 the ,district of ,columbia1 and each territory of the ,united ,states4 7e7 ,authorization of appropriations 7#a7 ,medicare ,for the purpose of carrying out subsections 7a7 through 7c71 there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years #bjbj through #bjbd4 7#b7 ,medicaid ,for the purpose of carrying out subsection 7d71 there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years #bjbb through #bjbh4