Medicare Respiratory Therapist Access Act of 2013

Medicare Respiratory Therapist Access Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide Medicare coverage of pulmonary self-management education and training services furnished by a qualified respiratory therapist in a physician practice to patients with chronic lung disease (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD], including emphysema and bronchitis, as well as asthma, pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary fibrosis, and cystic fibrosis).

[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2619 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2619

To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare 
 coverage of pulmonary self-management education and training services 
furnished by a qualified respiratory therapist in a physician practice.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              July 8, 2013

  Mr. Lewis introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on 
   Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, 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 provide for Medicare 
 coverage of pulmonary self-management education and training services 
furnished by a qualified respiratory therapist in a physician practice.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Medicare Respiratory Therapist 
Access Act of 2013''.

SEC. 2. MEDICARE COVERAGE OF PULMONARY SELF-MANAGEMENT EDUCATION AND 
              TRAINING SERVICES FURNISHED BY A QUALIFIED RESPIRATORY 
              THERAPIST IN A PHYSICIAN PRACTICE.

    (a) In General.--Section 1861 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1395x) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (s)(2)--
                    (A) by striking ``and'' at the end of subparagraph 
                (EE);
                    (B) by adding ``and'' at the end of subparagraph 
                (FF); and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following new 
                subparagraph:
            ``(GG) pulmonary self-management education and training 
        services (as defined in subsection (iii)(1));''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(iii) Pulmonary Self-Management Education and Training Services; 
Eligible Individual; Qualified Respiratory Therapist.--
            ``(1) For purposes of subsection (s)(2)(GG), the term 
        `pulmonary self-management education and training services' 
        means patient education and training services furnished to an 
        individual diagnosed with a chronic lung disease, including 
        such a disease described in paragraph (2), by a qualified 
        respiratory therapist (as defined in paragraph (3)) in a 
        physician practice but only if the physician who is managing 
        the chronic lung disease of the individual determines, in 
        accordance with a comprehensive plan of care related to the 
        treatment of the individual for the chronic lung disease, that 
        such services are needed to ensure therapy compliance by the 
        individual or to provide the individual with necessary skills 
        and knowledge (including skills related to proper inhaler 
        techniques) to participate in the management of the 
        individual's chronic lung disease.
            ``(2) For purposes of paragraph (1), a chronic lung disease 
        described in this paragraph is any of the following:
                    ``(A) Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), 
                including emphysema and bronchitis.
                    ``(B) Asthma.
                    ``(C) Pulmonary hypertension.
                    ``(D) Pulmonary fibrosis.
                    ``(E) Cystic fibrosis.
            ``(3) For purposes of paragraph (1), the term `qualified 
        respiratory therapist' means an individual who--
                    ``(A) is credentialed by a national credentialing 
                board recognized by the Secretary;
                    ``(B)(i) is licensed to practice respiratory 
                therapy in the State in which the respiratory therapy 
                services are performed; or
                    ``(ii) in the case of an individual in a State 
                which does not provide for such licensure, is legally 
                authorized to perform respiratory therapy services (in 
                the State in which the individual performed such 
                services) under State law (or the State regulatory 
                mechanism provided by State law);
                    ``(C) is a registered respiratory therapist; and
                    ``(D) holds at a minimum either a bachelor's degree 
                or other advanced degree from an accredited school of 
                higher education in a health science field.''.
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