WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts, along with Senators Craig Thomas (R-WY), Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Tom Harkin (D-IA), introduced critical rural health care legislation to help shoulder the financial burden rural health care providers have when caring for small communities.

“Rural health care providers have very different needs than their urban counterparts,” Senator Roberts said. “It is important that we realize health care is not one size fits all.”

The Rural Hospital and Provider Equity (R-HoPE) Act of 2006, S. 3500, makes changes to Medicare regulations for rural hospitals and providers recognizing the difficulty in achieving the same economies of scale as large urban facilities. These changes include changes to lab, ambulance, home health care, hospice and rural clinic Medicare reimbursements.

The legislation also provides a Capital Infrastructure Loan Program to make loans available to help rural facilities improve crumbling buildings and infrastructure. In addition, rural providers can apply to receive planning grants to help assess capital and infrastructure needs.

The bill extends to January 1, 2009, two incentive programs aimed at improving the quality of care by attracting health care providers to Health Professional Shortage Areas. The first is the Medicare Incentive Payment Program, which provides 10 percent bonus payments to physicians practicing in shortage areas. The second is the Physician Fee Schedule Work Geographic Adjustment, which brings rural doctors’ Medicare fee schedules for wages more in line with urban doctors’.

“I am also pleased this bill is comprehensive and addresses significant barriers to mental health care in rural areas,” Roberts said. “Currently, the Medicare program only permits psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and clinical nurse specialists to bill Medicare for mental health services provided to seniors. Most rural counties do not have a psychiatrist or a psychologist. This bill permits marriage and family therapists and licensed professional counselors to bill Medicare for their services and be paid the rate of social workers. These providers are much more likely to practice in a rural setting and are often the only mental health professionals available.”

The bill uses technology to improve home health services and quality for care by creating a pilot program providing incentives for home health agencies to purchase and utilize home monitoring and communications technologies and facilitates telehealth services across state lines.

Senator Roberts is a member of the bipartisan Senate Rural Health Care Caucus and a member of the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Senator Roberts has long been a strong supporter of strengthening and improving rural health care programs.