Promoting Access to Diabetic Shoes Act
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Promoting Access to Diabetic Shoes Act expands who can certify the medical necessity of therapeutic shoes for Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes. Currently, only physicians can sign off on this documentation; this bill adds nurse practitioners and physician assistants to the list of authorized certifiers.
Who Benefits and How
Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes gain easier access to therapeutic footwear coverage. With more healthcare providers authorized to certify their need, patients face fewer barriers and delays in obtaining specialized shoes that help prevent serious diabetic foot complications.
Nurse practitioners and physician assistants benefit from an expanded scope of practice. They can now provide complete diabetic foot care without requiring patients to see a separate physician just for documentation purposes.
Medical equipment suppliers may see increased sales as the streamlined certification process reduces friction for patients seeking covered diabetic footwear.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Medicare program bears minimal burden from this change. The bill does not create new benefits or expand coverage categories—it simply adjusts which healthcare providers can complete existing paperwork. No significant new costs are expected.
Key Provisions
- Amends Section 1861(s)(12) of the Social Security Act to add nurse practitioners and physician assistants as authorized certifiers
- Applies to documentation requirements in both subparagraph (A) and subparagraph (C) of the statute
- Takes effect upon enactment with no phase-in period
- Does not change the medical criteria for coverage—only who can certify the documentation
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Expands Medicare coverage documentation for diabetic shoes by allowing nurse practitioners and physician assistants (in addition to physicians) to certify medical necessity.
Who Benefits
- Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes (improved access to diabetic shoes)
- Nurse practitioners (expanded scope of practice)
- Physician assistants (expanded scope of practice)
Who Bears Costs
- Medicare program (minimal - administrative change only, no new spending)
Key Policy Areas
Healthcare, Medicare, Medical Services
Primary Purpose
Expands Medicare coverage documentation for diabetic shoes by allowing nurse practitioners and physician assistants (in addition to physicians) to certify medical necessity.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Expand healthcare provider flexibility and improve access to diabetic care"
Identified Gains
- Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes (improved access to diabetic shoes)
- Nurse practitioners (expanded scope of practice)
- Physician assistants (expanded scope of practice)
- Medical equipment suppliers (potentially larger market)
Identified Costs
- Medicare program (minimal - administrative change only, no new spending)
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMs. Collins (for herself and Mrs. Shaheen) introduced the following …
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (Sponsor …
Introduced in Senate
Impact analysis is available but no clear stakeholder effects identified. View clause-level analysis →
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology