On March 15, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022 (H.R.2471), which includes all 12 of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 appropriations bills and supplemental funding to support Ukraine and manage the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill extends existing telehealth flexibilities for 151 days beyond the end of the public health emergency — approximately five months. These flexibilities include:

• Waiving geographic and originating site restrictions;
• Expanding the list of eligible practitioners;
• Allowing audio-only telecommunications; and
• Permitting telehealth as a face-to-face encounter prior to recertification of a patient’s eligibility for hospice care.

These telehealth flexibilities are critical to enabling home-based care models. Though the legislation gives hospice providers more room to breathe, the legislation makes no explicit mention of home health care, according to Home Health Care News.

The bill also funds the Administration for Community Living (ACL) at $2.3 billion, including $399 million for home- and community-based support services, an increase of $6 million above the FY 2021 enacted level. The bill does not address upcoming Medicare sequestration cuts, which are set to phase in this April. Click here and here for a summary of the legislation.