Blog
New Bill Aims to Extend Acute Hospital Care at Home Waiver
A bill introduced in the Senate aims to extend CMS‘ Acute Hospital Care at Home waiver for two years after the COVID-19 public health emergency reaches an end. By Mark Melchionna March 11, 2022 – Sens. Tom Carper (D-Delaware) and Tim Scott (R-South Carolina) introduced a bill called the Hospital Inpatient Services Act that allows for a two-year extension of […]
2022 Congressional spending bill: Health care groups praise telehealth options
The 2022 Congressional budget bill includes flexibilities for doctors to provide telehealth services to patients, according to the leader of the American College of Physicians (ACP). But the American Hospital Association (AHA) criticized lawmakers for removing additional COVID-19 relief from the omnibus spending bill approved by the House of Representatives and now in the Senate with a vote expected in coming […]
FCC Sets July 31, 2022 Purchase Deadline for COVID-19 Telehealth Program
COVID-19 Telehealth Program DA 22-260Released: March 11, 2022 WIRELINE COMPETITION BUREAU ANNOUNCES A PURCHASE AND IMPLEMENTATION DEADLINE OF JULY 31, 2022 FOR ROUND 2 OF THECOVID-19 TELEHEALTH PROGRAM WC Docket No. 20-89 By this Public Notice, the Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) sets July 31, 2022, as the deadline for Round 2 COVID-19 Telehealth Program (COVID-19 […]
Congress Omnibus Bill Includes Extension of Medicare Telehealth Coverage
If enacted into law, the omnibus spending package will extend numerous telehealth waivers for Medicare beneficiaries at least five months after the public health crisis has ended. By Anuja Vaidya March 10, 2022 – The new omnibus spending bill, introduced in the House of Representatives Wednesday, includes several provisions to extend telehealth flexibilities for Medicare patients. The $1.5 trillion […]
CMS-Supported Telehealth Will Continue To Be A Driving Force – But Watch for Greater OIG Enforcement
As mindsets pivoted to a post-pandemic life, telehealth advocates petitioned CMS to embrace telehealth as a permanent care option, and CMS responded with regulatory action at the end of 2021. During the Covid-19 Pandemic, telehealth usage surged as patients and providers turned to it as a safer care alternative. McKinsey estimated telehealth claim volumes reached […]
Congress Considers Extending Medicare Telehealth Flexibilities
During the COVID-19 pandemic, HHS has allowed numerous telehealth flexibilities across Medicare and Medicaid, making it possible for patients to receive care remotely from their homes and enabling states, managed care organizations, and providers to expand access to care. The telehealth landscape looks drastically different now compared with before the pandemic, with patients and providers […]
Congress Considers Extending Medicare Telehealth Flexibilities
During the COVID-19 pandemic, HHS has allowed numerous telehealth flexibilities across Medicare and Medicaid, making it possible for patients to receive care remotely from their homes and enabling states, managed care organizations, and providers to expand access to care. The telehealth landscape looks drastically different now compared with before the pandemic, with patients and providers […]
Using Hospital-At-Home Services to Lower Readmissions, Increase Capacity
A safety-net health system leveraged its home hospital program, launched a few months before the Omicron surge, to bring acute care to patients and alleviate capacity challenges. February 28, 2022 – As the Omicron variant drove COVID-19 case counts up, hospitals found themselves facing a familiar problem: caring for patients as inpatient capacity grew slim. Many health facilities […]
FCC Seeks Reforms to Rural Health Care Program
The FCC is requesting public comment on proposed reforms to the Rural Health Care Program to “promote program efficiency and ensure that rural healthcare providers receive appropriate levels of funding.” Initial Comments Due: 30 days after publication in the Federal RegisterReply Comments Due: 60 days after publication in the Federal Register Background The Rural Health […]
Potential is high’ for remote patient monitoring in difficult-to-control asthma
PHOENIX — Although challenges remain, remote digital health practices can be implemented for most aspects of asthma evaluation and management, according to a speaker at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Meeting. Presenting the 24th year of the Elliot F. Ellis Memorial Lectureship during the meeting’s presidential plenary session, Andrew Liu, MD, FAAAAI, director […]
New Senate Bill Would Extend Access to Telehealth After the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Ends
Recognizing how important access to telehealth services has been to millions of Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic, a bipartisan group of senators recently introduced a bill that would extend COVID-era expanded telehealth access for an additional two years after the COVID-19 public health emergency has ended, which is expected at some point during 2022. The […]
Speaker: ‘Potential is high’ for remote patient monitoring in difficult-to-control asthma
PHOENIX — Although challenges remain, remote digital health practices can be implemented for most aspects of asthma evaluation and management, according to a speaker at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Meeting. Presenting the 24th year of the Elliot F. Ellis Memorial Lectureship during the meeting’s presidential plenary session, Andrew Liu, MD, FAAAAI, director […]
New 2022 Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM) CPT codes Can Be Effectively Used By Doctors
Dr. Cheng Ruan Feb 25, 2022 How physician practices can take advantage of the New 2022 Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM) CPT codes. NOTE: this is different from Remote Patient Monitoring which I cover later in this blog. Remote therapeutic monitoring is a brand new service description that doctors in private practices (especially those in integrative medicine practices) […]