Floor Statement of US Senator John Thune
Fostering Independence Through Technology (FITT) Act of 2005
September 14, 2005
Mr. President, as I traveled across my state of South Dakota this August, I heard from many constituents about the high cost of health care. Concerns about the cost of health care are not limited, however, to the people of South Dakota. These concerns span across state lines and across the minds of people of all different ages.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution to the issues of access and cost of health care.
My state of South Dakota is rural. 46 out of our 66 counties are classified as medically underserved areas -- areas that have insufficient health resources - manpower or facilities - to meet the medical needs of the population. This poses a significant challenge in providing health care to the 750,000 residents of South Dakota.
Providing high quality affordable health care will take the cooperation of both the public and the private sector. The use of technology in the delivery of health care has been a proven method in providing quality care while reducing cost.
Telehealth uses telecommunications and information technologies to provide health care services at a distance. It provides individuals in remote underserved areas access to specialists and other health care providers through the use of technology. This means that when my constituent in Gregory, South Dakota needs his skin examined by a dermatologist, he does not need to travel the 185 miles to Sioux Falls.
The practice of telemedicine, however, has been under-utilized and under-funded despite numerous studies praising the ability of telehealth to deliver care to individuals in remote areas. The adoption of telehealth has been hampered by legal, financial, and regulatory barriers.
Mr. President, my legislation, the Fostering Independence Through Technology Act of 2005, takes a step in the right direction of breaking down the barriers that prevent the adoption of telehealth. It provides incentives for home health agencies to purchase and utilize home monitoring and communications technologies. My legislation is pro technology, pro quality, and pro savings.
Specifically, my bill requires the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to create demonstration projects that would encourage home health agencies to utilize remote monitoring technology. Utilizing technology in the home health setting would reduce the number of visits by home health aides while still providing quality care.
Each demonstration project is required to include a performance target for the home health agency. This target will be used to determine whether the projects are enhancing health outcomes for Medicare beneficiaries as well as saving the program money.
Each year, the home health agency participating in the pilot will receive an incentive payment based on a percentage of the Medicare savings realized as a result of the pilot project.
The demonstration projects would be conducted in both rural and urban settings because medically underserved areas exist across the country. One project, however, is required to be conducted in a state with a population of less than one million.
Technology is improving each and every day. I ask then, Mr. President, why one of the biggest industries in our nation --health care -- is not utilizing this technology to reduce costs and improve the quality of care delivered. Breaking down the barriers that prevent wider adoption of telehealth
will improve our system of care and lower the cost of health care for individuals across the country.
The practice of telehealth brings medicine to people -- people who live in medically underserved areas and people who are too frail or too ill to leave the comfort of their homes.
My legislation answers the call for wider adoption of telehealth and provides Medicare beneficiaries independence without sacrificing quality of care.
It is time for Congress to tackle the legal, financial, and regulatory barriers that are preventing the implementation of technology into the health care field. The legislation that I am introducing today takes a giant step in this direction and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.