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Congress·In Committee·about 1 year ago

Congress Bill Would Let More Clinicians Refer Medicare Patients to Heart and Lung Rehab Programs

Also known as: Increasing Access to Quality Cardiac Rehabilitation Care Act of 2025

Legislative Progress

✓ Filed
Review
Senate
House
President

Impacts

Positive Impacts(2)
Medicare
Helps
Chronic Illness
Helps

Key Points

  • Expands who can prescribe Medicare-covered heart rehab and lung rehab to include certain advanced practice clinicians, not just doctors.
  • Changes the setting language so cardiac rehab can be provided in a broader “office setting,” which may open up more places to offer it.
  • Could help patients start rehab sooner after a heart or lung event by reducing bottlenecks when a doctor isn’t immediately available.
  • Affects Medicare patients who need cardiac rehab or pulmonary rehab, and the clinics and medical offices that provide these programs.
  • Would take effect for services given starting 6 months after the bill becomes law.
HealthcareMedicare Medicaid

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
Feb 25, 2025Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Feb 25, 2025

Introduced in Senate

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

6 months after the bill becomes law

Medicare’s new rehab prescribing and oversight rules take effect

Starting on the effective date, eligible Medicare patients can have cardiac or pulmonary rehab exercise plans prescribed by a physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist (not only a physician), which can reduce delays.

Around the effective date and the first few months after

Rehab clinics update intake and referral workflows

Programs may change referral forms and scheduling so patients can start rehab based on an NP/PA/CNS order, which can open more appointment slots and reduce cancellations.

Beginning shortly after the effective date

More Medicare patients are able to enroll in rehab sooner after a heart or lung event

People recovering from a heart procedure or living with lung disease may get into supervised exercise and education sooner, which can improve recovery and day-to-day stamina.

Related News

3 articles
The Ripon Advance (via Sen. Shelley Moore Capito website)·12 months ago

Capito offers bipartisan bill to expand access to cardiac, pulmonary rehab services

Covers S.717 and explains the Medicare change to allow PAs, NPs, and clinical nurse specialists to order cardiac/pulmonary rehab; highlights rural access and delays from physician-only referral rules.

CR+
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (Press Release)·about 1 year ago

Capito, Klobuchar Introduce Legislation to Increase Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Care Access

Announcement of the bill’s introduction and its core provisions: expanding who can order cardiac and pulmonary rehab under Medicare and reducing referral bottlenecks.

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Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association (PCNA)·6 months ago

Driving Change: Nurse Advocates at the Forefront of Cardiovascular Policy

Advocacy round-up that explicitly lists support for S.717 among multiple cardiovascular policy priorities; useful context on stakeholder support but not a full bill explainer.

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Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Increasing Access to Quality Cardiac Rehabilitation Care Act of 2025

Bill NumberS 717
Congress119th Congress
ChamberSenate
Latest ActionRead twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(1)
D: 1

Analysis generated by AI. While we strive for accuracy, this should not be considered legal or professional advice. Always verify information with official government sources.