,i  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #hgee  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,november #af1       
#bjbj,ms4 ,sherrill 7for herself1 ,mr4  
,mc,kinley1 ,mr4 ,fitzpatrick1 ,mr4     
,riggleman1 ,mrs4 ,beatty1 ,mr4 ,carson 
of ,indiana1 ,mr4 ,thompson of          
,pennsylvania1 ,mr4 ,kim1 ,mr4 ,morelle1
 ,mr4 ,rush1 ,mr4 ,sires1 ,mr4 ,kevin   
,hern of ,oklahoma1 ,mr4 ,timmons1 and  
,mr4 ,tonko7 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 amend title ,,xviii of   
the ,social ,security ,act to expand the
 scope of practitioners eligible for    
payment for telehealth services under   
the ,medicare program1 and for other    
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  

may be cited as the ,expanded           
,telehealth ,access ,act4  #b4          
,expanding the scope of practitioners   
eligible for payment for telehealth     
services under ,medicare  7a7           
,telehealth provider parity ,section    
#ahcd7m7 of the ,social ,security ,act  
7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #aciem7m77 is amended--  
7#a7 in paragraph 7#a7-- 7,a7 by        
striking or a practitioner 7described in
 section #ahdb7;b77#ah77;,c77 and       
inserting or a professional described in
 paragraph 7#d77;,e772 and  7,b7 by     
striking individual physician or        
practitioner and inserting individual   
physician or professional2  7#b7 in     
paragraph 7#b7-- 7,a7 by striking       
practitioner each place it appears and  
inserting professional each such place2 
7,b7 by inserting before located at a   
distant site the following 7or1 in the  
case of an occupational therapy         
assistant described in paragraph        
7#d77;,e77ii77,,ii7 or a physical       
therapist assistant described in        

paragraph 7#d77;,e77ii77,,ii71 shall pay
 with respect to such assistant72 and   
7,c7 by inserting 7or1 in the case of an
 occupational therapy assistant         
described in paragraph                  
7#d77;,e77ii77,,ii7 or a physical       
therapist assistant described in        
paragraph 7#d77;,e77ii77,,ii71 the      
amount that would have been paid under  
this title with respect to such         
assistant7 after would have been paid   
under this title2  7#c7 in paragraph    
7#c77;,a71 by striking or practitioner  
and inserting or professional2 and  7#d7
 in paragraph 7#d7-- 7,a7 in each of    
subparagraphs 7,a7 and 7,c71 by striking
 or practitioner and inserting or       
professional2 and  7,b7 by amending     
subparagraph 7,e7 to read as follows3   
7,e7 ,professional described ,a         
professional described in this          
subparagraph is-- 7i7 a practitioner    
described in section                    
#ahdb7;b77#ah77;,c72 or  7ii7 with      
respect to services furnished on or     

after the date of enactment of the      
,expanded ,telehealth ,access ,act1 a   
licensed-- 7,i7 audiologist2  7,,ii7    
occupational therapist and occupational 
therapy assistant under the supervision 
of an occupational therapist2  7,,iii7  
physical therapist and physical         
therapist assistant under the           
supervision of a physical therapist2    
7,,iv7 speech language pathologist2     
7,v7 facility described in paragraph    
7#h7 or 7#i7 of section #ahcc7;a7 that  
furnishes telehealth therapy services2  
and  7,,vi7 any additional health care  
provider1 as specified by the           
,secretary1 who participates under this 
title and furnishes a service that is   
included as a telehealth service under  
this subsection4  4  7b7 ,additional    
covered telehealth services ,section    
#ahcd7m77#d77;,f77i7 of the ,social     
,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4           
#aciem7m77#d77;,f77i77 is amended by    
adding at the end the following new     
sentence3 ,such term shall include1     

audiology services 7as defined in       
section #ahfa7ll77#c77 and outpatient   
therapy services 7including such        
services furnished by a therapy         
assistant 7as defined by the            
,secretary771 including physical therapy
 of the type described in section       
#ahfa7p71 occupational therapy of the   
type that are described in section      
#ahfa7;g71 and speech-language pathology
 services of the type described in      
section #ahfa7ll77#b744