Elizabethton Star: Harshbarger highlights bill to expand access for rural Medicare patients

Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger, R-Tenn., this week highlighted bipartisan legislation to strengthen Medicare’s home infusion benefit and expand access to care for rural patients during a House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee hearing. 

 “Being a pharmacist myself, we know how important it is for patients to get care in the right setting. And for many patients, especially in rural areas like mine in East Tennessee, like Chairman Griffith’s in Southwest Virginia, home infusion can improve outcomes and quality of life while avoiding unnecessary trips to the hospital or extended facility stays,” Harshbarger said. “That’s why I helped introduce the Preserving Patient Access to Home Infusion Act. This bill updates Medicare’s home infusion benefits so patients can actually receive the care they need at home when appropriate.”  

As a pharmacist, Harshbarger emphasized the importance of ensuring patients receive care in the most appropriate setting. During the hearing, she questioned Connie Sullivan, BSPharm, of the National Home Infusion Association on how Medicare policies too often make home infusion unreliable — particularly for rural patients.