Preserving Patient Access to Home Infusion Act
Sens. Warner and Scott Introduce the Preserving Patient Access to Home Infusion Act
Stalled
No legislative action in over 90 days.
Legislative Progress
Key Points
- This bill makes it easier for people on Medicare to receive IV medications—like antibiotics or heart medicine—in their own homes instead of having to go to a hospital or a doctor's office.
- It fixes a payment issue by requiring Medicare to pay for the "behind-the-scenes" work pharmacists do, such as mixing the drugs and coordinating care, which currently isn't always covered for home patients.
- Medicare would be required to pay for every day a patient receives their medicine at home, even on days when a nurse doesn't need to visit in person.
- To speed up care, the bill allows nurse practitioners and physician assistants to order and manage these home treatments, rather than requiring a doctor to do every piece of paperwork.
- It expands coverage to include IV drugs that are given without an electric pump, which includes many common treatments for infections.
- If passed, these changes would take effect on January 1, 2026, helping patients stay out of the hospital while still getting the specialized medicine they need.
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
Life & Work
Home infusion therapy suppliers—many of which are small or mid-size pharmacy businesses—would see their Medicare reimbursements improve significantly. The bill adds coverage for pharmacy services they already provide but don't get paid for, creates payment for non-pump drug administration, and sets a transitional payment floor based on 5 hours of infusion per day through 2030. This financial stability could help keep these businesses operating in underserved areas.
Programs
Disabilities
Milestones
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
2 articlesRe-introduced legislation seeks to modernize home infusion benefit
Members of the House and Senate re-introduced the 'Preserving Patient Access to Home Infusion Act' to create a complete Medicare benefit for at-home IV treatments. The bill aims to remove the 'physical presence' requirement, ensuring Medicare pays for professional pharmacist services every day a drug is administered, not just when a nurse is present. Supporters argue this modernization is necessary as current CMS data shows fewer than 1,500 beneficiaries utilize the benefit per quarter.
NHIA applauds 'momentum' for home infusion coverage improvements
Following the passage of a government funding bill that expanded some home infusion criteria, advocates are pushing for the full enactment of the Preserving Patient Access to Home Infusion Act (H.R. 2172). The legislation has gained bipartisan support for its potential to move patients out of high-cost hospital settings and into their homes for treatments like IV anti-infectives, which currently face significant Medicare coverage gaps.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Preserving Patient Access to Home Infusion Act
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(1)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.