US SB1261

Permanently removes geographic restrictions for Medicare telehealth services effective October 1, 2025, allowing beneficiaries to receive telehealth from any location including their homes rather than only from designated rural areas or healthcare facilities

Expands eligible telehealth originating sites to include patient homes, allows Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics to serve as distant sites for telehealth, and exempts Indian Health Service and Native Hawaiian health facilities from originating site requirements starting January 1, 2026

Repeals the requirement that patients must have an in-person visit within 6 months before receiving telemental health services, and permits telehealth for hospice care recertification on a permanent basis

Authorizes $3 million annually for fiscal years 2026-2030 to the HHS Inspector General for telehealth oversight, creates a safe harbor from anti-kickback laws for providers giving patients technology needed for telehealth, and requires identification and notification of physicians with significant outlier billing patterns for telehealth services

Mandates HHS develop accessibility guidance for telehealth services for individuals with limited English proficiency and disabilities, review quality measures for telehealth services, and post quarterly data on Medicare telehealth utilization, expenditures, and outcomes