Recognizing Respiratory Therapists Under the Home Health Benefit

The Medicare program currently does not recognize services provided by respiratory therapists in the home as skilled services. As a result, homebound patients needing respiratory therapy do not receive their care from respiratory therapists.

Legislation has been introduced to recognize the services of respiratory therapists under Medicare's Home Health Services Benefit. Please give homebound patients access to respiratory therapists by writing to your congressional members in support of this issue.

An easy way to do this is by going to AARC’s Capitol Connection. Please send your e-mails today.

Below are materials that will help you with this effort:

• HR 964
• Handout on Recognizing Respiratory Therapists Under the Medicare Home Health Services Benefit
• AARC Political Advocacy Contact Team (PACT)
Letters of Support
• National Association for Home Care
• Home Healthcare Nurses Association
• ATS Statement of Support
• Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics
• American College of Chest Physicians
• American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
• Model Letter of Support from Organizations
  Respiratory therapists can use this model to obtain letters of support for this issue from state level organizations.  The following state level organizations have used the model to support this issue:
  • Allergy & Asthma Network/Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA)
  • American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP)
  • American Lung Association of Kansas
  • American Lung Association of Kentucky
  • American Lung Association of Louisiana
  • American Lung Association of Minnesota
  • American Lung Association of Nebraska
  • American Lung Association of New Jersey
  • American Lung Association of North Dakota
  • American Lung Association of Pennsylvania
  • American Lung Association of South Dakota
  • American Thoracic Society (ATS)
  • Danbury Visiting Nurse Association, Inc.
  • Home Healthcare Nurses Association (HHNA)
  • Kansas Home Care Association
  • Louisiana Thoracic Association
  • Minnesota Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation
  • Minnesota Thoracic Society
  • National Association for Home Care (NAHC)
  • National Association of Medical Directors of Respiratory Care (NAMDRC)
  • United Visiting Nurse Association
  • Upper Plains Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Association
• Home Oxygen Study
  “Implementation of an Oxygen Therapy Clinic to Manage Users of Long-Term Oxygen Therapy.” This study, conducted at a military-affiliated tertiary care hospital, evaluated 283 long term oxygen therapy patients and those with new oxygen prescriptions. The study concluded that using a respiratory therapist-managed oxygen therapy clinic (OTC) to manage home oxygen patients can significantly decrease inappropriate supplemental oxygen use which can result in significant cost savings while providing improved health care delivery

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