On May 29th, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) submitted a comment to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in support of reducing reimbursement requirements for telehealth services. CMS accepted public comments for its new Interim Final Rule published on April 6, 2020, 85 FR 19230, which changes the Medicare payment regulations to allow for more flexible […]
What’s the news: In a global pandemic that has demanded an all-hands-on-deck response, the AMA’s outstanding advocacy efforts have led to billions in emergency funding to help physician practices stay viable, secured broad telehealth expansion and telehealth payment parity, and much more. Featured updates: COVID-19 Track the evolving situation with the AMA’s library of the most […]
By: Bill Dacey June 3, 2020 For several years, we’ve seen Medicare and the American Medical Association’s Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) manual slowly approach the age of telehealth. Despite a lot of discussion and many headlines during each of the past few years, the codes and coverage embracing the modern age of medicine have lagged […]
By Robert Holly | May 18, 2020 Despite significant roadblocks, the home health industry is getting closer to securing direct reimbursement for visits delivered via telehealth technology, industry insiders believe. Over the past two few months, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the White House have taken numerous steps to ramp up the use of telehealth services […]
aTouchAway a lifeline for families who can’t visit hospitals, nursing homes due to COVID-19 Kim Schrader often becomes emotional when she talks about her patients at the Queensway Carleton Hospital, but she’s worried about their families, too. With visits halted nearly two months ago due to COVID-19, Schrader, the clinical manager of the hospital’s rehabilitation and transition to […]
— We need to usher in a new era of patient care by Jeffrey Davis May 24, 2020 The COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly accelerated the adoption of telehealth, with emergency physicians delivering care whenever patients need it, and wherever they are located. “The genie’s out of the bottle,” said Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator […]
MAY 28, 2020 American Medical Association If you are trying to figure out how to properly code for the evolving way you care for patients during the pandemic—those with COVID-19 and those without—the AMA recently updated several user-friendly resources designed to guide you through the process. Featured updates: COVID-19 Track the evolving situation with the […]
Tuesday, June 2, 2020 As previously reported, Congress and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have removed longstanding regulatory barriers to the broad deployment of telehealth for general care during the COVID-19 pandemic. In parallel, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act has established the Federal Communication Commission (“FCC”) COVID-19 Telehealth Program, (the […]
The number of CMS beneficiaries has grown from 12,000 weekly telehealth visits to “well into six figures” during the pandemic, and both President Donald Trump and CMS Administrator Seema Verma aim to continue those benefits. Kellyanne Conway, assistant to the president and senior counselor, and Ms. Verma spoke at a recent news teleconference and discussed, among other […]
Although this may soon change, home health providers remain limited in using telehealth technologies in their day-to-day operations. In March, Congress made it clear through the CARES Act that the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) should do everything in its power to promote the use of telehealth tools during the COVID-19 emergency. Many home health […]
New guidelines for stroke triage published in the AHA’s Stroke journal call on first responders to use telehealth and mHealth to screen and diagnose patients and ensure speedy transport to the right care facility. By Eric Wicklund May 28, 2020 – A team of stroke experts has published new guidelines calling for the increased use of telemedicine during […]
GENERAL INFORMATION What do I need to do to seek reimbursement for eligible expenses incurred under the COVID-19 Telehealth Program? You must first pay the vendor or service provider for the costs of the eligible services and/or connected devices received before requesting reimbursement for those costs from the COVID-19 Telehealth Program. The COVID-19 Telehealth Program […]
May 27, 2020By Rich Daly, HFMA senior writer and editor Medicare considering making telehealth expansion permanent, Verma says Medicare is reviewing whether to make telehealth waivers permanent. Waivers have expanded provider eligibility lists and available payment from Medicare. Hospitals are asking Congress to expand other federal telehealth programs. Medicare is reviewing whether to make permanent […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Friday it has finalized changes to Medicare Advantage (MA) and Medicare Part D. The changes — detailed in a final rule for 2021 — partly seek to strengthen access to telehealth services, an increasingly important component of the health care system amid the ongoing coronavirus emergency. While the […]