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 […]
Heights resident Dr. Diane N. Roche, a licensed psychologist and clinical director at Roche + Associates, said her practice already had a protected online platform which in addition to managing medical records and appointment scheduling, offered secure video therapy sessions. But the video component was not often used. “For a handful of young adults, that […]
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 […]
Thanks to COVID-19, telehealth is experiencing a major boost. But will it last? In the last five years, the usage of telehealth services was far lower than the hype that surrounded it. A survey from JD Power conducted last July found that only 1 in 10 patients took advantage of such remote-care services. Now that’s all changing […]
On March 30, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) announced an additional expansion of telehealth services,[1] widening provider access to its 62 million Medicare beneficiaries. It also strongly encouraged state Medicaid programs and commercial payors to continue to do the same. Such action prioritizes the need of immediate and on-going care for […]
Physicians are now allowed to care for patients at rural hospitals “via phone, radio or online communication, without having to be physically present.”By Mike MiliardApril 10, 202011:26 AM The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has temporarily suspended several regulations to enable hospitals, clinics and other providers to boost their front-line medical staff during the coronavirus […]