Federal Agencies
GAO ON TELEHEALTH AND OTHER WAIVERS: ‘CAREFUL MONITORING IS WARRANTED’
WASHINGTON – Members of the Government Accountability Office testified before Congress last week saying, while Medicare beneficiaries and providers have benefitted from program waivers and other flexibilities, their continued use beyond the pandemic increases risks and raise considerations. Among those risks and considerations: Increased spending: Telehealth waivers can increase spending in both Medicare and Medicaid, if telehealth […]
Pandemic’s telehealth advances will be lost if Congress doesn’t act
The pandemic has proven telehealth is a critical part of effective, efficient and equitable health care, and the AMA is encouraging Congress to act now so patients don’t lose the option of connecting with their physicians through this convenient, accessible mode of care. In written testimony submitted to the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on […]
House Subcommittee Holds Hearing on the Path Forward for Telehealth
The House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee held a hearing on April 28 to discuss the benefits that telehealth has provided during the COVID-19 pandemic and how to maintain these advancements in care in the future. During the hearing, “Charting the Path Forward for Telehealth,” subcommittee members and witnesses primarily focused their comments on how telehealth has […]
Providers push Congress for permanent telehealth capabilities — pandemic’s ‘silver lining’
Long-term care stakeholders are looking forward to telehealth policies remaining a “very, very hot topic” in Congress during the COVID-19 public health emergency, and beyond. Service providers say they are optimistic lawmakers will act, but want to make sure they are properly reimbursed in the end. “We achieved incredible advances in telehealth with the PHE,” […]
Telehealth: How the Pandemic Is Shaping the Future of Remote Healthcare
As of late March 2021, 475 million people worldwide have received a COVID-19 vaccine. Although a return to normalcy is drawing closer, it is unclear how state and federal governments will regulate and reimburse for telehealth services when temporary telehealth policies expire at the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE). This alert summarizes […]
Congress to Get Another Shot at Telehealth Coverage for Specialists
Lawmakers have resubmitted the Expanded Telehealth Access Act, which would permanently extend Medicare coverage to telehealth services provided by physical and occupational therapists, audiologists and speech and language pathologists. By Eric Wicklund March 26, 2021 – A group of lawmakers has resubmitted a bill seeking to permanently expand Medicare coverage to telehealth services provided by physical and occupational therapists, […]
MedPAC Issues Medicare Payment Policy Report to Congress
On March 15, 2021, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) released its Medicare Payment Policy report to Congress updating payment recommendations for providers paid under Medicare’s traditional fee-for-service payment systems in nine sectors. MedPAC unanimously recommended a two-percent increase in the 2021 Medicare base payment rates for acute care hospitals and long-term hospitals and a […]
House introduces bill to expand coverage of audio-only telehealth to MA plans
A new bipartisan House bill would ensure beneficiaries in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans can get access to audio-only telehealth services, a major ask from insurers. The bill, introduced Tuesday, aims to build on flexibilities given to providers by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to reimburse for telehealth services in light of the […]
How Much Will Telehealth Go “Back to the Future” Following the Pandemic?
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth was more of a stretch goal than a reality for most providers despite the seeming prevalence of video conferencing. Traditionally, although technology barriers were cited as a limiting factor, the gradual widespread adoption of high-speed internet and smartphones overcame that obstacle for most patients, but some of those least […]
Senators urge expansion of HCBS, telehealth
Lawmakers and public policy experts are calling on Congress to expand home- and community-based services (HCBS) and telehealth as the U.S. emerges from the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. During a hearing of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging Thursday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) said HCBS should be a mandatory benefit under Medicaid and should be […]
House Legislation Would Make Telehealth for PTs and PTAs Permanent in Medicare
If signed into law, the APTA-backed bill would achieve a major association goal. Contact Congress now to voice your support.NewsDate: Wednesday, March 24, 2021 Informed by lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives has introduced APTA-backed legislation that would make payment for services delivered via telehealth […]
Menendez, Sullivan Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Close Digital Divide, Address Disparities in Maternal Mortality
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee that sets national health policy, and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) formally introduced bipartisan legislation today to close the digital divide in health care and address racial and ethnic disparities in maternal health outcomes. The Tech to Save Moms Act will […]
Rural hospitals contend with an expensive shift to digital amid shrinking margins
The Covid-19 pandemic has decimated hospital finances, and as a result, rural providers are forced to make key IT spending decisions with limited dollars. Here is a snapshot of how they will prioritize those dollars this year and the federal support they need to survive the ongoing public health crisis. By ANUJA VAIDYA Post a comment / Mar […]