AARP Praises Reps. Gibson, Higgins for Backing Medicare Home Health Care Bill

Contact: Erik Kriss  ekriss@aarp.org   

Hudson Valley, Western New York Congressmen Co-Sponsor Bill Allowing More Health Care Professionals to Order Home Health Services

NEW YORK, New York – AARP is applauding Reps. Chris Gibson of the Hudson Valley and Brian Higgins of Western New York for signing onto a bi-partisan bill that would allow additional health care professionals to order cost-saving home health services for Medicare participants.

The Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act ( H.R. 2504) authorizes nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, certified nurse-midwives and physician assistants as eligible health care professionals who could order home health services under Medicare.

That would potentially prevent the need for more costly hospital, sub-acute care facility and nursing home admissions under the federal health care program for Americans 65 and older and some individuals with disabilities.

“AARP believes consumers should be able to live in dignity at home, and this bill would allow them to do that by removing a potential barrier to care, including in areas with a shortage of health professionals,” said Beth Finkel, State Director of AARP in New York State. “We applaud Congressmen Gibson and Higgins for co-sponsoring legislation that would improve access to care while also potentially saving consumers and taxpayers money.”

Current law recognizes advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants as authorized Medicare providers and allows them to order nursing home care for their patients – but not home health care services.

That restriction creates an unnecessary barrier to care by requiring the provider to find a physician to make a referral. That mandate can result in an inappropriate or inadequate referral if the physician doesn’t know the patient. Time delays in finding a physician for a referral can result in an extended - and unnecessarily expensive - hospital stay or nursing home admission.

Decades of data support the ability of nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, and physician assistants to provide high quality care to people of all ages, including Medicare recipients with multiple chronic conditions. Sound evidence exists that clinical nurse specialists provide high quality chronic care management for consumers with multiple chronic conditions.

These three types of advanced practice registered nurses are often the only care providers available in health professional shortage areas such as urban and rural regions.

AARP urges Rep. Gibson’s and Higgins’ House colleagues to join in support of the bill.

Follow us on Twitter:   @AARPNY and Facebook:  AARP New York

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, with a membership of more than 37 million, that helps people turn their goals and dreams into real possibilities, strengthens communities and fights for the issues that matter most to families such as healthcare, employment and income security, retirement planning, affordable utilities and protection from financial abuse. We advocate for individuals in the marketplace by selecting products and services of high quality and value to carry the AARP name as well as help our members obtain discounts on a wide range of products, travel, and services.  A trusted source for lifestyle tips, news and educational information, AARP produces AARP The Magazine, the world's largest circulation magazine; AARP Bulletin;  www.aarp.org ; AARP TV & Radio; AARP Books; and AARP en Español, a Spanish-language website addressing the interests and needs of Hispanics. AARP does not endorse candidates for public office or make contributions to political campaigns or candidates. AARP Foundation is an affiliated charity of AARP that is working to win back opportunity for struggling Americans 50+ by being a force for change on the most serious issues they face today: housing, hunger, income and isolation. AARP has staffed offices in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Learn more at  www.aarp.org .

####