In certain circumstances, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) using section 1135 of the Social Security Act (SSA) can temporarily modify or waive certain Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, or HIPAA requirements, called 1135 waivers. There are different kinds of 1135 waivers, including Medicare blanket waivers. When there’s an emergency, sections 1135 or […]
Changes to the Medicare Telehealth Services List Structure and Updates Process Prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) evaluated changes to the Medicare Telehealth Services List (the List) through an annual rulemaking process. Through this process, CMS considered whether a service met one of two criteria […]
In a letter submitted to the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health for a hearing Nov. 14, the AHA expressed support for the CONNECT Act (S.2016/H.R. 4189) and urged Congress to allow Medicare beneficiaries to access telehealth services wherever they and their providers are and allow rural health clinics, federally qualified health centers and critical access hospitals to serve as […]
“This article was originally published by Foley & Lardner LLP [Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services RPM Policies (natlawreview.com)] on [11/8/2023], and is reprinted with permission.” On November 2, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized new policies related to remote physiologic monitoring (RPM) and remote therapeutic monitoring (RTM) services reimbursed under the […]
First, the bad news: The final 2024 Physician Fee Schedule rule rolled out by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services contains virtually the same cuts to payment under Medicare Part B as were in the proposed rule. But this time around, there’s also good news: Many of the more positive elements in the […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) aims to further advance its overall value-based care strategy with the finalized 2024 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) – adding ways for medically complex, high-cost beneficiaries like those in nursing homes to participate in Medicare Shared Savings Programs (MSSPs). Additionally, CMS therapy assistants can be more generally […]
Federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) are an important safety net for individuals who often do not have easy access to primary and preventive care. With a mission to ensure the delivery of high-quality, comprehensive health care services to these underserved communities, many FQHCs are now choosing to leverage technology – like remote patient monitoring (RPM) […]
AHA on Oct. 10 voiced support for the CONNECT for Health Act (S. 2016/H.R. 4189), legislation that would increase patient access to telehealth services while removing barriers to adoption. The bill would permanently remove geographic restrictions that limit where patients can access telehealth, add homes and other clinically appropriate originating sites, and allow rural health […]
Washington, D.C., September 18, 2023 – The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) announced this week that its CEO’s Advisory Group on Using Telehealth to Eliminate Disparities and Inequities is releasing three new tools this week, to inform ways in which telehealth can impact disparities and inequities. “We launched the advisory group in 2021 to address the unique ways telehealth could be […]
Time’s up and pencils down! Comments on the calendar year (CY) 2024 physician fee schedule (PFS) proposed reg were due earlier this week. Now, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will have to review them and issue a final reg on or before November 1, 2023—60 days before the start of the new […]
HIMSS, a global advocate for digital health transformation, supports a proposed extension of coverage for telehealth services through Dec. 31, 2024. The reimbursement, at the non-facility rate, was originally scheduled to cease when the federal government ended the COVID-19 public health emergency on May 11, 2023. More than 150 million people live in federally designated […]
Consolidated codes for reporting current COVID-19 immunizations, provisional codes for forthcoming monovalent vaccines, and codes for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) immunizations are among the features of the American Medical Association’s 2024 Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code set unveiled today. In all, the 2024 code set includes 230 additions, 49 deletions and 70 revisions among its 11,163 codes according […]
Learn What’s New for FY 2024 CMS issued FY 2024 Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and Long Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System (LTCH PPS) final rules to update IPPS hospital and LTCH Medicare payment policies. See a summary of key provisions effective October 1, 2023. The Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP [State Children’s Health Insurance Program] Balanced Budget Refinement Act […]
Learn What’s New for FY 2024 CMS issued FY 2024 Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and Long Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System (LTCH PPS) final rules to update IPPS hospital and LTCH Medicare payment policies. See a summary of key provisions effective October 1, 2023. On January 30, 2023, the Biden Administration announced its intent to end the national […]