Increasing Access to Quality Cardiac Rehabilitation Care Act of 2025
The Increasing Access to Quality Cardiac Rehabilitation Care Act of 2025 would amend Medicare rules to broaden and speed access to cardiac rehabilitation (CR) and pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) programs. The bill expands who can supervise and prescribe rehab services, and it relaxes the setting limitation by referring to “the office setting” rather than a physician’s office. Specifically, it allows physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and clinical nurse specialists (as defined in the bill) to participate in and order prescribed exercise as part of CR and PR. The changes apply to items and services furnished on or after six months after enactment. The intent is to make it easier for more patients, sooner, to receive recommended rehab services under Medicare.
Key Points
- 1Expands provider eligibility for CR/PR: physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and clinical nurse specialists can be involved in CR/PR under Medicare, with definitions provided in the bill.
- 2Broadens acceptable settings: “physician’s office” is replaced with “the office setting,” allowing rehab services to be delivered outside traditional physician offices.
- 3Broadens who can prescribe exercise: exercise prescriptions for CR/PR can come from a physician (as defined in the bill) or the expanded set of non-physician providers (PA, NP, CNS).
- 4Applies to both CR and PR: the changes cover cardiac rehabilitation programs (CR) and pulmonary rehabilitation programs (PR) under Medicare.
- 5Effective date: the amendments take effect for items and services furnished on or after six months after enactment of the bill.