RNs for Rural Health Act of 2025
The RNs for Rural Health Act of 2025 would modify Medicare coverage to ensure that annual wellness visits conducted at rural health clinics include Personalized Prevention Plan Services (PPPS) furnished by registered nurses (RNs). Specifically, it adds PPPS provided by an RN licensed in the state where the services occur, and the related services and supplies furnished as incident to such RN services, to the list of services covered under the Medicare outpatient annual wellness visit. The bill also clarifies that these RN-provided PPPS and incident-to services would be treated as if furnished by a physician or as incident to a physician’s service. The effective date is for items and services furnished on or after enactment. In short, the bill aims to expand who can deliver the preventive components of the annual wellness visit in rural clinics (to include licensed RNs) while preserving the existing physician-based billing framework through “incident to” provisions. This is targeted at improving access to preventive care for rural Medicare beneficiaries and supporting rural clinics by leveraging nursing staff.
Key Points
- 1Expands coverage to include PPPS furnished by a registered nurse licensed in the state where the service is performed, as part of the annual wellness visit at rural health clinics.
- 2Adds PPPS and related supplies furnished incident to the RN’s services to be covered as if furnished by a physician or as incident to a physician’s service.
- 3Applies to items and services furnished on or after the date of enactment.
- 4Requires the RN to be licensed to practice nursing in the state where the services are performed.
- 5Targeted to rural health clinics, with implications for how preventive services are delivered and billed in these settings.