COVID-19 HAS HAD a devastating impact on our lives, our healthcare system, and our economy, but one silver lining has been the immediate and dramatic expansion of telehealth services. We’d be foolish not to seize this opportunity to ensure that telehealth access remains a part of routine medical care in the Commonwealth long after the pandemic is over. Teleheatlh […]
Last week, new legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that would require Medicare to reimburse certain telehealth services post the public health emergency period. If passed, the bipartisan Helping Ensure Access to Local TeleHealth Act of 2020 or HEALTH Act of 2020 (the “HEALTH Act of 2020”) would codify Medicare reimbursement and allow […]
As a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, State Medicaid programs have expanded options for telehealth services. Rapid expansion of telehealth may pose challenges for State agencies and providers, including State oversight of these services. Our objective is to determine whether State agencies and providers complied with Federal and State requirements for telehealth […]
AHRQ has created a sample telehealth consent form (Word, 27 KB) that is easy to understand. The form includes language for healthcare providers that have curtailed in-person visits due to COVID-19. AHRQ has also created how-to guidance for clinicians on how to obtain informed consent for telehealth. Why should we use easy-to-understand telehealth consent forms? Some States do not […]
By KEN TERRY Telehealth has been a lifeline for many doctors and patients during the pandemic, and the decisions of CMS and many private payers to cover telehealth visits—in some cases, at full parity with in-person visits–has helped physician practices stave off bankruptcy. Assuming that these policies remain in effect after the pandemic, I agree with […]
By Kat Jercich During the opening keynote of the 2020 American Telemedicine Association conference, ATA CEO Ann Mond Johnson pointed to the transformative effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on telehealth. “This health emergency has launched telehealth” to new heights, Johnson said. Given the social distancing measures that necessitated a limitation on in-person care, “consumers realized telehealth […]
Monday, June 22, 2020 The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued more than 100 waivers giving healthcare providers the flexibility to meet the demands presented by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. These waiver flexibilities are temporary, however. The authority to grant public health emergency-based waivers under §1135 of the Social Security Act is […]
With millions of people suddenly video chatting their doctors, there’s pressure on Washington to make telehealth a permanent option. By MOHANA RAVINDRANATH An explosion of virtual care during the pandemic is raising expectations that Washington will make sure Americans can continue video chatting with their doctors after the health crisis subsides. Telehealth had been inching ahead […]
The Senate is considering S. 3988, a bill that could help the federal government track, maintain and improve the country’s ability to provide health care through telehealth systems. One part of the proposed “Enhancing Preparedness through Telehealth Act” bill calls for the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to report […]
For healthcare providers, telehealth is an opportunity to generate revenue and boost the quality of care when working with chronically ill patients, a chief transformation officer says. Telehealth visits can drive value for chronically ill patients. Telehealth visits are not only more convenient for chronically ill patients than in-person visits, they also are far less expensive than […]
As of Wednesday last week, senators of both parties have agreed to make permanent and widespread changes to the restrictions hampering telehealth’s growth. Given the current importance and growth of telehealth during these pandemic-stricken times, we are likely to see a huge and permanent increase in telehealth’s importance for years to come. The start of […]
By Alex Spanko | June 22, 2020 Early research into the impact of COVID-19 on seniors — both among the general population, and in nursing homes — has revealed endemic connections among race, income, and the likelihood of infection and death. Those patterns, reinforced by a new set of data probing COVID-19’s impact on Medicare beneficiaries, should prompt […]
Many home care providers jumped at the chance to create new Medicare Advantage (MA) business lines after the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) began making supplemental benefits more flexible more than two years ago. Now, those same providers that got into MA early are beginning to better understand the space while hunting […]
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to create barriers to in-person care, there has been increased focus on enabling the delivery of healthcare services through telehealth. Congress, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and state Medicaid programs have identified reimbursement for telehealth and telephonic services provided by federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and rural […]
President Trump’s top Medicare official said Tuesday that expanded access to telemedicine should continue after the coronavirus pandemic recedes and that officials are examining ways to act without waiting for legislation from Congress. “I can’t imagine going back,” said Seema Verma, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, told STAT during a live virtual […]