The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed a new rule that would make certain COVID-19-related telehealth flexibilities introduced over the past few months permanent for Medicare beneficiaries. The move comes in conjunction with an executive order from President Trump to improve rural and telehealth access. While CMS’s proposed rule potentially paves the way for more remote nursing […]
A Federal Communications Commission plan to spend $300 million on telehealth is the latest in a series of steps taken to aid Americans during the coronavirus pandemic. While direct government spending on healthcare services is usually poorly targeted, such temporary emergency programs with strict spending limits and strict oversight can actually save money compared to […]
Providers say there are a number of logistical, regulatory and educational hurdles that must be overcome for telehealth to reach its potential. After the coronavirus began spreading in the United States this past spring, telehealth patient rates shot up in response, with some health systems reporting a whopping 4,000% increase in appointment numbers for virtual […]
Dive Brief: President Donald Trump late Monday signed an executive order directing the administration to permanently extend Medicare’s broader telehealth coverage after the public health emergency, and CMS followed by proposing a rule that does so — albeit on a piecemeal, service-by-service basis. The proposed changes, in its 2021 physician fee schedule released Monday night, would allow Medicare providers […]
On August 3, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a number of clarifications and proposals on remote patient monitoring (RPM) services reimbursed under the Medicare program. The changes, part of the advance copy of CMS’ proposed 2021 Physician Fee Schedule, are intended to clarify CMS’ position on how it reads and interprets […]
The White House Aug. 3 issued an executive order on “improving rural health and telehealth access.” The order includes directives to: launch a new payment model for rural health care; develop and implement a strategy to improve rural health care infrastructure; create a report describing policy initiatives to improve rural health; and propose regulation that would extend […]
Doctors treating patients virtually can provide new services, such as emergency visits, eye exams, and certain mental health visits, after the pandemic subsides under an executive order from President Donald Trump announced yesterday. As part of the order, the Agriculture Department and Federal Communications Commission are partnering to bolster broadband access to rural communities, boosting telehealth efforts […]
On August 3, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the advance copy of its proposed 2021 Physician Fee Schedule rule, which contains new telehealth services covered under Medicare. Compared to last year, where CMS made only minor additions to telehealth services, the changes proposed for 2021 are bold and designed to more deliberately expand […]
Law360 (August 3, 2020, 11:07 PM EDT) — President Donald Trump on Monday ordered a potentially long-term extension of reimbursements for telehealth services that have exploded in popularity during the coronavirus pandemic and once again claimed to be putting the finishing touches on a “tremendous health care plan.” Trump discussed the order at a Monday […]
Among the many changes proposed in the 2021 Physician Fee Schedule rule were telehealth coverage expansions, permanent COVID-19 flexibilities, and higher values for office/outpatient visits. August 04, 2020 – Which Medicare waivers will be made permanent by CMS after the COVID-19 public health emergency is still up in the air, but the recently proposed 2021 Physician Fee […]
Rural hospitals are grappling with high rates of chronic disease, lack of broadband access, and workforce shortages that are exacerbated by the low pay and professional isolation that are characteristic of rural settings. It is from within this digital divide that rural hospitals have learned so much they can pass along to their urban peers. […]
Federal health officials released a proposed rule late Monday that sets 2021 Medicare payment rates for physicians and includes changes to the Merit-based Incentive Payment System. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released the draft of its proposed annual Physician Fee Schedule and Quality Payment Program rule (PDF), which updates the payment rates for physician services. As previously promised by Centers […]
Hospitals & Healthcare investigates remote patient monitoring (RPM) technologies, how these are influencing the development of healthcare so that it is increasingly centred around the patient experience, and how payers and providers can benefit from this. Acording to Dr Sneh Khemka, Vice-President of Population Health, Aetna International, ‘around 60 per cent of primary healthcare is […]
While home-based medical care has been shown to reduce hospitalization rates and lower costs for both homebound and non-homebound populations alike, it continues to be drastically underutilized in the current health care ecosystem. As a result, there are millions of older Americans — especially those living in rural areas — who are going without the […]
Among the changes announced this week include the expanded use of telehealth in Medicare, giving payment parity to hospital outpatient surgery centers, simplifying evaluation and management codes, and changing performance measures for accountable care organizations (ACOs). Among a swath of proposed policy and payment changes announced this week by the Trump administration, CMS continued its […]