In the 2021 final Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) rule, CMS made both permanent and temporary changes to supervision, telehealth and other provisions, capturing the fluidity of COVID-19 pandemic times. The rule, which was announced Dec. 1, extended the shelf life of some additions and revisions, which won’t expire until the end of the year in […]
Experts say the 2021 Physician Fee Schedule will advance telehealth adoption, but it falls short of giving momentum to remote patient monitoring. Oh, and Congress needs to step up to the plate, too. By Eric Wicklund December 08, 2020 – The 2021 Physician Fee Schedule isn’t knocking anyone over with optimism for the future of telehealth adoption. Reactions […]
On December 1, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized new policies related to remote patient monitoring aka remote physiologic monitoring or “RPM,” reimbursed under the Medicare program. The changes, part of the 2021 Physician Fee Schedule final rule are intended to clarify CMS’ position on how it interprets requirements for RPM services. This […]
Telehealth technology has proved to be a reliable tool for Medicare providers throughout the pandemic, according to a bipartisan and bicameral group of 49 lawmakers who want to lock in those gains now. In a Dec. 4 letter, the lawmakers urge House and Senate leaders to use end-of-year legislation to permanently expand Medicare coverage of telehealth services. The letter […]
On December 3 the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services authorized health care practitioners licensed in other states to provide telehealth services across state lines for the duration of the COVID-19 public health emergency. This emergency measure only applies to practitioners who provide testing and treatment of COVID infections. It preempts state licensing laws that erect barriers […]
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) expanded Medicare reimbursement for telehealth within the annual Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) final rule for 2021. During the pandemic Public Health Emergency (PHE), CMS has temporarily reimbursed many telehealth services. In light of the success of unprecedented telehealth utilization during the PHE, more than 60 services have been […]
The Health and Human Services Secretary will allow healthcare providers to use telehealth across state lines to deliver “Covered Countermeasures” against the coronavirus. By Eric Wicklund December 04, 2020 – The federal government is expanding the telehealth platform for diagnostic tests and other devices that may be used to address the coronavirus pandemic. The US Department of Health […]
Telehealth has proved vital during the COVID-19 pandemic, and more than four dozen lawmakers want to see maximized moving forward. A bipartisan, bicameral collection of 49 lawmakers urged House and Senate leaders Friday to include a permanent expansion of access to telehealth services in potential end-of-year legislation. In a letter authored by Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, […]
The federal government on Tuesday finalized its proposed physician fee schedule for the 2021 calendar year, formalizing cuts to Medicare reimbursement rates for therapy services provided to residents covered under Part B — while also expanding some telehealth flexibilities offered during COVID-19. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in August floated a 9% […]
The agency has released its long-awaited final document on Medicare coverage for telehealth and remote patient monitoring services in the coming year, building upon trends seen during this year’s coronavirus pandemic. By Eric Wicklund December 02, 2020 – Telehealth and remote patient monitoring will see significant improvements in Medicare coverage in 2021. The long-awaited 2021 Physician Fee Schedule, unveiled […]
The Trump administration has finalized the annual regulation governing physician payments, and in the rule approved payment adjustments to evaluation and management visits that drew ire from docs. The changes to E/M visits would boost payments for these services, with the goal of empowering physicians to intervene more quickly to catch complex conditions and better […]
It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that the pressures and prerogatives of a global pandemic can have a profound effect on lives and livelihoods everywhere. In healthcare, where new technologies were already introducing new models and modalities of care, we are seeing some of those COVID-19-driven priorities play out in real time. The […]
In its sweeping 2021 payment rule, the Trump administration locked in a number of permanent expansions to the telehealth services Medicare covers and significantly increased payments for evaluation and management (E/M) visits beginning in 2021. Broadly,the changes benefit general medicine at the expense of specialty providers. Medical groups spoke out against the cuts to pay of […]
American Medical Association House of Delegates will advocate for equitable and accessible telehealth post-COVID-19 WEDNESDAY, Dec. 2, 2020 (HealthDay News) — At a Special Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates, the American Medical Association (AMA) adopted a new policy to advocate for widespread adoption of telehealth beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the resolution, […]
As part of the 2021 Physician Fee Schedule, Medicare will continue to reimburse Diabetes Prevention Program providers who use certain telehealth services – but only for the duration of the public health emergency. By Eric Wicklund December 02, 2020 – Healthcare providers who use telehealth in their Diabetes Prevention Programs will continue to be reimbursed through Medicare during […]