On August, 3 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule that announces and solicits public comments on proposed policy changes for Medicare payments under the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS), and other Medicare Part B issues, on or after January 1, 2021. The calendar year (CY) 2021 PFS proposed rule is one […]
On August 3, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the Calendar Year (CY) 2021 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) proposed rule, which proposes to revise certain MDPP policies during the remainder of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) and any future applicable 1135 waiver event. We are proposing that we would determine […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will be making permanent a number of the temporary flexibilities to expand telehealth that the agency implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of rules affecting hospices that would be extended remains to be seen. President Donald Trump signed an executive order that among […]
Doctors treating patients virtually can provide new services like eye exams and certain mental health visits after the pandemic subsides under an executive order announced Monday. As part of the order, the Agriculture Department and Federal Communications Commission are partnering to boost broadband access to rural communities, bolstering telehealth efforts beyond the pandemic. The telehealth order […]
On Monday, August 3, President Trump signed executive orders with the goal of improving healthcare in rural America, for seniors, and for all Americans, by expanding telehealth, modernizing regulations, and reforming payments. Specifically, the executive orders call on HHS to: Propose a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) rule to extend parts of Medicare’s […]
The federal government on Monday introduced a proposed rule that would, if finalized, make permanent at least some of the emergency telehealth flexibilities implemented during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, while potentially allowing a greater frequency of remote nursing home interventions. President Trump on Monday signed an executive order requiring the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) […]
CY 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule On August 3, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published the Calendar Year (CY) 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule (PFS Proposed Rule). The agency’s proposals relating to telehealth and remote services are particularly noteworthy given the central role telehealth has taken in response to the […]
While home-based medical care has been shown to reduce hospitalization rates and lower costs for both homebound and non-homebound populations alike, it continues to be drastically underutilized in the current health care ecosystem. As a result, there are millions of older Americans — especially those living in rural areas — who are going without the […]
Hospitals & Healthcare investigates remote patient monitoring (RPM) technologies, how these are influencing the development of healthcare so that it is increasingly centred around the patient experience, and how payers and providers can benefit from this. Acording to Dr Sneh Khemka, Vice-President of Population Health, Aetna International, ‘around 60 per cent of primary healthcare is […]
Federal health officials released a proposed rule late Monday that sets 2021 Medicare payment rates for physicians and includes changes to the Merit-based Incentive Payment System. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released the draft of its proposed annual Physician Fee Schedule and Quality Payment Program rule (PDF), which updates the payment rates for physician services. As previously promised by Centers […]
Which Medicare waivers will be made permanent by CMS after the COVID-19 public health emergency is still up in the air, but the recently proposed 2021 Physician Fee Schedule rule indicates that telehealth coverage and workforce flexibilities could be here to stay. The rule released yesterday also proposed to lower the 2021 Physician Fee Schedule […]
President Donald Trump on Monday ordered a potentially long-term extension of reimbursements for telehealth services that have exploded in popularity during the coronavirus pandemic and once again claimed to be putting the finishing touches on a “tremendous health care plan.” President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference Monday at the White House after announcing […]
Various reports indicate that physician adoption of telemedicine has boomed over the course of just the past few months, with virtual healthcare interactions set to surpass 1 billion by the end of the year. Similarly, in 2019 just 8% of patients surveyed had sought care via telemedicine, but as of April 2020, that number had […]
For the past few months, policymakers from the states to Congress have discussed plans to keep some of the loosened telehealth regulations after the pandemic. On Monday, President Donald Trump signed an executive ordersteering agencies to do that work and improve access to healthcare in rural communities. The order directs Health and Human Services Secretary Alex […]
Among a swath of proposed policy and payment changes announced this week by the Trump administration, CMS continued its effort to simplify coding requirements, quality measurements, and focus on 340B drug costs. In addition, it wants Medicare beneficiaries to be eligible to have more surgeries performed in hospital outpatient surgery centers, and it expanded the […]