H.R. 4206: Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act of 2025

This bill, known as the CONNECT for Health Act of 2025, aims to enhance access to telehealth services through several key provisions. Below is a summary of its main aspects:

1. Removal of Barriers to Telehealth Coverage

The bill seeks to remove various geographic and site-specific restrictions associated with telehealth services:

• Geographic Requirements: Beginning on October 1, 2025, the bill eliminates geographic restrictions that currently limit where telehealth services can be accessed.
• Expanding Originating Sites: It broadens the types of locations (origins) from which patients can receive telehealth services, allowing more facilities to provide these services.
• Eligibility for Practitioners: The bill allows more types of health practitioners to offer telehealth services, potentially enabling more specialists to participate.
• Support for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs): It redefines service provisions for FQHCs and RHCs to expand their telehealth capabilities.
• Native American Health Facilities: The bill also makes special provisions for telehealth services delivered in Native American health facilities.
• Telemental Health Services: It repeals the requirement for an in-person visit every six months for telemental health services, simplifying access for patients in remote areas.
• Public Health Emergencies: During public health emergencies, certain telehealth requirements can be waived to facilitate immediate care access.
• Use in Hospice Care: Telehealth can be utilized for recertification for hospice care, helping streamline processes.

2. Program Integrity Measures

This section addresses fraud and abuse in telehealth services:

• Clarification of Laws: Definitions and clarity around fraud and abuse laws regarding technologies provided to beneficiaries will be established.
• Telehealth Oversight Resources: The bill allocates funds for oversight of telehealth to ensure compliance and quality.
• Identifying Billing Patterns: It mandates the identification of outlier billing patterns in telehealth services to prevent fraud and abuse.

3. Supporting Beneficiaries and Providers

The bill emphasizes enhancing engagement for both beneficiaries and providers in telehealth:

• Education and Training: It requires the development of educational resources for beneficiaries and providers on how to effectively use telehealth services.
• Quality of Care Measurement: Telehealth services will be included in measuring quality of care, ensuring that quality assessments account for telehealth-specific considerations.
• Information Dissemination: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must regularly post updates regarding telehealth services, patient outcomes, and usage statistics.

4. Studies and Reports

The bill mandates studies and reports on telehealth services to inform stakeholders and improve practices:

• Engagement Strategies: HHS must analyze effective strategies for encouraging beneficiary engagement in telehealth, especially in underserved communities.
• Impact Evaluation: Reports evaluating the impact of telehealth changes will be submitted to Congress, offering insights into the effectiveness of these policies.

5. Funding and Appropriations

The bill authorizes necessary funds to implement initiatives, ensuring that required resources for oversight and support are available.

Relevant Companies

• AMGN: Amgen Inc. may see increased demand for telehealth services, potentially impacting its operations in remote patient monitoring and consultations.
• UNH: UnitedHealth Group may be significantly involved in facilitating telehealth services, potentially affecting its business model and healthcare delivery systems.