Doctors relying on eased telehealth rules to treat patients during the pandemic could face familiar obstacles to remote treatment when enforcement of security and privacy requirements return. Chatting with physicians online has drastically expanded during the pandemic via video-conferencing apps such as Google Meet, Zoom, Skype, and Apple FaceTime. That was more difficult when privacy […]
Telehealth. It’s no longer just a nice-to-have, but instead a must-have for patients and healthcare professionals alike during these uncertain times the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about. While we all wish that it hadn’t taken a pandemic to propel telehealth forward, for better or for worse, it has. The spotlight is now on telehealth in […]
If you are looking for financial assistance in providing telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic, a newly created $200 million government program may be able to help defray the costs of continuing to provide care to patients remotely. Featured updates: COVID-19 The COVID-19 Telehealth Program is part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is taking applications […]
The Federal Communications Commission has approved four waves of COVID-19 telehealth program applications, funneling more than $13.6 million in funding to healthcare providers across the U.S. Under the $200 million program, part of the $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, hospitals and health centers can apply for up to $1 million to cover […]
Highlights Telehealth has long faced a number of obstacles to widespread adoption. Beyond a number of operational and clinical hurdles, widespread implementation of telehealth has been hindered by various legal and regulatory barriers. The COVID-19 pandemic and the unprecedented limitations on in-person healthcare delivery, however, have led to a flurry of state and federal emergency […]
As the COVID-19 emergency continues to heavily impact the U.S. and its health care system, CMS has issued additional flexibilities for providers and payors seeking to respond to the pandemic. These new flexibilities are described both in revisions to CMS’ blanket waivers and in a new Interim Final Rule with comment period, both issued on April 30. Many of […]
Since early March 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a steady stream of guidance to Medicare Advantage Organizations (MAOs) and Part D sponsors in connection with the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. CMS recently compiled much of this guidance in a memorandum published on April 21, 2020, which revised prior guidance released on March 10, 2020. […]
CMS issued a another round of sweeping regulatory rollbacks Thursday that will temporarily change how some providers care for patients and get compensated during the ongoing pandemic. Practitioners such as therapists previously restricted from providing telehealth services for reimbursement can now do so, and CMS is also upping payments for telephone-only telehealth visits. Accountable care organizations also scored […]
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has introduced a new crop of temporary regulatory flexibilities in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) in the form of new blanket waivers, implementing guidance related to provisions of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Support Act (CARES Act) regarding rural health clinics (RHCs) and federally […]
March 17, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced that Medicare will pay for telehealth services provided to beneficiaries “in any healthcare facility and in their home” and won’t enforce the established-relationship rule. COVID-19 has caused a significant number of deaths, and because there still is much to learn about it, the uncertainty scares […]
Summary: Healthcare providers have a unique opportunity to integrate telemedicine into their practice. As part of this effort, we’ve launched telehealth.hhs.gov. As healthcare providers, we swear an oath at medical school graduation that guides us through our careers. Whether on the job or walking down the street, we carry this promise, to our patients, communities, and […]
Just days after the application period opened, some $3.23 million has already been approved to help hard-hit health systems deploy telemedicine technology, connected devices and remote patient-monitoring tools. The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday announced the first half-dozen awardees of its COVID-19 Telehealth Program. WHY IT MATTERSHealth systems in hard-hit states such as Louisiana, New […]
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently provided Section 1135 waivers and guidance granting flexibilities to home health agencies (HHAs) and hospices during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic national emergency. Of note are an expanded ability for HHAs and hospices to provide some telehealth services to Medicare beneficiaries as well as the easing of […]
Summary: Healthcare providers have a unique opportunity to integrate telemedicine into their practice. As part of this effort, we’ve launched telehealth.hhs.gov. As healthcare providers, we swear an oath at medical school graduation that guides us through our careers. Whether on the job or walking down the street, we carry this promise, to our patients, communities, and […]
