Health providers can apply starting Monday for $200 million in telehealth funds to fight the coronavirus pandemic, even as they fault eligibility restrictions and wrestle to apply regulations for using the aid. The eligibility and regulatory questions highlight the challenges the government faces in quickly distributing aid intended to fund broadband-connected devices such as video […]
The FCC will open its application portal today to hospitals interested in applying to its $200 million COVID-19 telehealth program. The program is part of the $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law March 27. Under the program, hospitals and health centers can apply for up […]
Its updated Digital Health Implementation Playbook Series offers tips and best practices for making the most of virtual consult technologies. The American Medical Association has put together a new guide to help providers implement real-time virtual visits between clinicians and patients. WHY IT MATTERSThe 128-page update to AMA’s Digital Health Implementation Playbook Series comes as telehealth adoption […]
If home health and hospice providers discover an unexpected Medicare payment from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) later this week, they shouldn’t be too alarmed — it’s not a billing error. The surprise deposit isn’t a mistake, but rather a no-strings-attached bump to help maintain operational stability amid coronavirus disruption. CMS Administrator […]
Home health and hospice providers now have greater clarity on how much initial emergency assistance they’ll be getting from the CARES Act Provider Relief Fund, as well as when those direct deposits will hit their bank accounts. While details of the disbursements were originally scarce, it seems the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) started doling […]
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has eased a number of service restrictions on physicians who provide care for residents in skilled nursing and long-term care facilities. The changes join a growing list of so-called “blanket waivers” temporarily granted to healthcare providers and institutions during the COVID-19 crisis. The physician waivers specifically address staff […]
Home health and hospice providers now have greater clarity on how much initial emergency assistance they’ll be getting from the CARES Act Provider Relief Fund, as well as when those direct deposits will hit their bank accounts. While details of the disbursements were originally scarce, it seems the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) started doling […]
We are empowering medical providers to serve patients wherever they are during this national public health emergency. We are especially concerned about reaching those most at risk, including older persons and persons with disabilities. – Roger Severino, OCR Director. The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is […]
One of the obvious outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic is that telemedicine and telehealth will no longer be a wave of the future. They’re here and here to stay. Gov. Asa Hutchinson loosened regulations on the use of telehealth due to the coronavirus outbreak that had previously limited the ability of doctors, nurses and patients […]
As part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Congress appropriated significant funding for a number of telehealth programs and initiatives, including funding for programs administered by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utility Service (RUS), the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Health and Human Services […]
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) and the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) have enacted several measures to make it easier for Medicare beneficiaries to obtain telehealth services during the public health emergency caused by the coronavirus and the disease caused by it, COVID-19. Specifically, CMS and HHS have issued Section […]
On March 30, 2020 the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) issued multiple temporary regulatory waivers and new rules in an effort to provide the American healthcare system with maximum flexibility as it reacts and responds to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. These are obviously unprecedented times, and CMS has made great use […]
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has released an order implementing the CARES Act appropriation of $200 million for telehealth through a new program called the COVID-19 Telehealth Program and adopting a new Connected Care Pilot Program. The Connected Care Pilot Program will make an additional $100 million in federal universal service funds available for telehealth over the […]
HHS released an updated interim final rule on March 30 that will reimburse nephrologists and physician practice staff for all telehealth visits for patients in dialysis clinics and at home. Visits with patients via telephone are also now reimbursed, with payment based on the length of the call. “Most pertinent for nephrology, the [interim final […]
Store and Forward Store-and-forward telemedicine is collecting clinical information and sending it electronically to another site for evaluation. Information typically includes demographic data, medical history, documents such as laboratory reports, and image, video and/or sound files. The health professional may use a desktop computer or a mobile device, such as a smartphone to gather and […]