Breathe Act Would Benefit RTs And Patients

On May 8, 2019, I participated in Asthma & Allergy Day On Capitol Hill. It was a neat experience. As part of this event, I found myself advocating for a variety of proposed bills pending before the 116th Congress.  One of these bills was H.R. 2508, which seemingly has the potential of benefiting both the patients we serve and ourselves.

I was invited by the good folks at the Allergy & Asthma Network.

H.R. 2508 is considered the "Breathe Act." This is an acronym for "Better Respiration Through Expanding Access to TeleHealth." If passed by Congress and signed into law by the President, the bill would create a pilot program that would connect respiratory therapists with COPD patients via telehealth.

The initial program would involve COPD patients enrolled under medicare. However, if successful, it has the potential to evolve to other diseases, including asthma. It also has the potential evolve to private insurance providers. However, the actual text of the bill is still pending.

I'm personally not a big fan of new laws. But, this one seems to have the potential for success. One, it would create more job opportunities for respiratory therapists. Two, it would connect us with the patients who could certainly benefit from our expertise.

HR2508 would provide for a pilot program to include respiratory therapists as telehealth practitioners under the Medicare program. Initially it would connect us with COPD patients enrolled under Medicare. I think our jobs would entail making sure these patients are using their medicines properly, particularly inhalers and nebulizers.

To me this makes sense. After all, who knows more about proper inhaler and nebulizer technique that respiratory therapist? I would imagine the initial goal is to reduce or prevent COPD re-admissions by ensuring patient compliance in the home. So, we'll see what happens.

The "Breathe Act" was also advocated for by the AARC’s Virtual Lobby Campaign. Their event took place on April 9, 2019. So, with the act being pushed by more than one organization, you would think it has a better chance of gaining traction.

The act was introduced by Representative Mike Thompson (D/CA). Also sponsoring the bill are Representatives TJ Cox (R-CA), Earl Carter (R-GA), and Mike Kelly (R-PA).