HB1720, the Hospice Recertification Flexibility Act, would extend Medicare telehealth flexibilities for hospice care recertification encounters through December 31, 2027. Under current law, certain hospice eligibility recertifications may be conducted via telehealth only through March 31, 2025; this bill would push that authority out for nearly three more years. It also creates limits on the telehealth option beginning January 1, 2026, excluding certain encounters involving individuals in areas with a hospice enrollment moratorium, patients receiving care from providers under enhanced oversight, and encounters performed by hospice physicians or nurse practitioners who are not properly enrolled or opted out under Medicare rules.
The bill further requires that, for telehealth recertification encounters on or after January 1, 2026, hospice claims include one or more modifiers or codes specified by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to identify that the encounter was conducted via telehealth. This is intended to improve billing clarity and program oversight while preserving access to remote recertification for eligible hospice patients and providers.
Impact
HB1720 would amend Section 1814(a)(7)(D)(i)(II) of the Social Security Act, which governs Medicare hospice certification and recertification requirements. Its practical effect would be to extend and refine Medicare telehealth policy for hospice care, affecting hospice providers, hospice physicians and nurse practitioners, Medicare claims processing, and federal oversight of hospice eligibility determinations. The bill does not create a new benefit category, but it would alter how hospice recertifications may be performed and documented under Medicare.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and available context, the measure appears to have a generally supportive, bipartisan framing, with sponsors from both parties and no recorded committee debate or votes in the provided materials. The bill’s title and structure suggest it is aimed at preserving a telehealth tool that stakeholders likely view as useful for hospice patients and providers, while adding guardrails to address oversight concerns. Because there are no transcripts or vote results, there is no evidence here of organized opposition in the available record.
Contention
The main policy tension in HB1720 is between maintaining telehealth access for hospice recertifications and tightening controls to prevent misuse or weak oversight. The bill narrows the extension by excluding certain encounters after January 1, 2026, including cases involving hospice programs in moratorium areas, providers under enhanced oversight, and non-enrolled or non-opt-out practitioners. Another point of contention may be the new claims modifier requirement, which could add administrative burden for providers but is intended to improve program integrity and distinguish telehealth-based recertifications from in-person encounters.