Telehealth stakeholders are urging a group of like-minded lawmakers to target Medicare restrictions on rural telemedicine coverage, broadband expansion and remote patient monitoring during this year’s Congressional session. By Eric Wicklund April 02, 2019 – Geographical restrictions on telehealth and telemedicine coverage and reimbursement top the list of complaints from organizations seeking federal support for connected […]
CMS just announced a clarification that remote patient monitoring under CPT code 99457 may be furnished by auxiliary personnel, “incident to” the billing practitioner’s professional services. An “incident to” service is one that is performed under the supervision of a physician (broadly defined), and billed to Medicare in the name of the physician, subject to […]
Emergency Triage, Treat, and Transport (ET3) is a voluntary, five-year payment model that will provide greater flexibility to ambulance care teams to address emergency health care needs of Medicare beneficiaries following a 911 call. Under the ET3 model, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will pay participating ambulance suppliers and providers to 1) […]
A couple of weeks ago, CMS announced four new interventions, including Telehealth Networks, that will be tested as part of a Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) model for Medicare Advantage (MA) plans starting in CY 2020. The Telehealth Networks intervention allows MA organizations to test using access to telehealth services to meet certain provider network requirements, […]
The federal government on Friday unveiled a series of new test benefits that certain Medicare Advantage plans can offer, including expanded telehealth coverage — marking yet another push toward remote health care benefits. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will implement the programs under the Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) model, which seeks to […]
CMS is updating its Value-Based Insurance Design model of care to allow telehealth to replace certain in-person medical visits in Medicare Advantage plans. By Eric Wicklund January 18, 2019 – Healthcare providers treating patients on Medicare Advantage plans may soon be able to use telehealth in place of in-person care when appropriate. The update was one […]
The American Academy of Family Physicians says proposed changes to Medicare Advantage plans will improve members’ access to telehealth, but they may also support direct-to-consumer channels at the expanse of the primary care provider. By Eric Wicklund December 28, 2018 – The national organization representing family physicians is pushing back against proposed changes to Medicare Advantage […]
The landscape of US healthcare is changing, both geographically and technologically. Healthcare providers are not only beginning to implement new technologies such as the cloud, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT) into their care modules, but are also shifting care out of the hospital into clinics, and even into patient’s homes. These […]
CMS has released new rules overhauling Medicare’s accountable care organizations (ACO) program. Called “Pathways to Success,” the new policies shorten risk-free periods and offer more regulatory flexibility, including for providing telehealth to people in their homes, among other changes. In recent years, home health companies have become more involved in ACOs, seeing it as an […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Friday finalized its new set of rules for accountable care organizations (ACOs), removing the no-risk tracks that represented financial drains on Medicare and expanding three-day stay waivers for nursing homes. Under the new “Pathways to Success” model, most new ACOs will only have two years to […]
Forthcoming policies from CMS will open up the home as a covered site of care in which hospitals can earn payment. Susan Morse, Senior Editor This past October, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services came out with an eagerly-anticipated new rule expanding the ways providers can use telehealth and get paid by Medicare Advantage […]
As part of the 2019 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule (Final Rule) published on November 23, 2018,1 the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) took significant steps toward modernizing Medicare to expand reimbursement for virtual care, telehealth coverage and care coordination. In the Final Rule, CMS expands reimbursement for “virtual care” patient services, […]
Good news for Americans who use Medicare Advantage. The Trump administration is proposing a new Medicare rule that will enable more Medicare Advantage enrollees to access telemedicine, a form of health care delivery that uses information technology and telecommunications tools to deliver traditional medical care to patients. This is especially helpful to patients living in […]
November 27, 2018 Laura Joszt CMS is moving home health agencies away from a volume-based payment model and to a new value-based payment system. The Patient-Driven Groupings Model would focus on patient needs and rely more heavily on patient characteristics in order to pay for home health services. CMS is moving home health agencies away […]
Connected care advocates are pressuring Congress to pass the RUSH Act, which aims to increase telehealth and telemedicine services in senior care facilities. By Eric Wicklund November 19, 2018 – Connected care advocates are lobbying Congress to pass the Reducing Unnecessary Senior Hospitalizations (RUSH) Act of 2018, which aims to reduce rehospitalizations at qualified skilled nursing facilities by […]
