Thursday, March 24, 2022 There have been several significant developments with regard to Federal government telehealth policy. These include the recently enacted appropriations bill funding the Federal government for the balance of the fiscal year, a Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General data brief, the MedPAC annual report to Congress and […]
There have been several significant developments with regard to Federal government telehealth policy. These include the recently enacted appropriations bill funding the Federal government for the balance of the fiscal year, a Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General data brief, the MedPAC annual report to Congress and statements by the Secretary […]
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (the Act), was passed by the U.S. House and Senate on March 9th and 10th, 2022, and signed into law by the President on March 15, 2022. The Act extends certain telehealth flexibilities for Medicare patients for 151 days after the official end of the federal public health emergency (PHE). Currently, the PHE […]
As of late March 2021, 475 million people worldwide have received a COVID-19 vaccine. Although a return to normalcy is drawing closer, it is unclear how state and federal governments will regulate and reimburse for telehealth services when temporary telehealth policies expire at the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE). This alert summarizes […]
On March 15, 2021, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) released its Medicare Payment Policy report to Congress updating payment recommendations for providers paid under Medicare’s traditional fee-for-service payment systems in nine sectors. MedPAC unanimously recommended a two-percent increase in the 2021 Medicare base payment rates for acute care hospitals and long-term hospitals and a […]
Lawmakers and public policy experts are calling on Congress to expand home- and community-based services (HCBS) and telehealth as the U.S. emerges from the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. During a hearing of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging Thursday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) said HCBS should be a mandatory benefit under Medicaid and should be […]
Crises have the unique power to both unearth long-simmering problems and unmask raw potential. I think it’s fair to say that the COVID-19 pandemic (an indisputable crisis) has managed to do both. While it has revealed fissures in our healthcare system — infection control issues in congregate settings, and healthcare disparities among races and between […]
The hospital reimbursement increase should also come with quality incentive program revisions, while physician rates should stay the course, according to the March report to Congress. By Jacqueline LaPointe March 17, 2021 – In its annual March report to Congress, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has recommended a 2 percent increase in Medicare hospital reimbursement rates in 2022 and […]
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission is taking a cautious approach to long-term telehealth policy, telling lawmakers to extend COVID-19 telehealth freedoms for a few years before making any final decisions. By Eric Wicklund March 16, 2021 – The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission is taking a cautious approach to permanent telehealth policy, advising lawmakers to extend some emergency rules […]
MedPAC survey found that 90% of Medicare beneficiaries were satisfied with telehealth WASHINGTON, DC, MARCH 16, 2021 – The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) appreciates that the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), in their March 2021 report to Congress on Medicare payment policy, recognized the importance of telehealth during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) and the need for policy […]
The impetus to provide more Medicare coverage of telehealth may prove irresistible, but the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has some reservations, including that telehealth payment rates should not favor companies like Dallas-based Teladoc Health Inc. over bricks-and-mortar clinics. This and other considerations are driving the commission toward a recommendation that a two-year telehealth pilot […]
Dive Brief: Members of an influential congressional advisory committee on Medicare are torn on how best to regulate telehealth after the COVID-19 public health emergency, hinting at the difficulty Washington faces as it looks to impose guardrails on virtual care without restricting its use after the pandemic ends. During a Thursday virtual meeting, the Medicare […]
Its recommendations include lifting limitations on originating sites, allowing telehealth for various types of conditions and reinstating the HIPAA provisions temporarily lifted during the public health emergency. By Kat Jercich September 15, 202002:01 PM The Taskforce on Telehealth Policy released a final report on Tuesday outlining its findings and recommendations around safeguarding the future of telehealth after the […]
Over the past five months, Congress and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have dramatically, but temporarily, expanded coverage and reimbursement for telehealth services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The changes are in effect for the duration of the Health and Human Services (HHS) Public Health Emergency (PHE). As there are significant […]
The commission, which advises Congress on issues affecting Medicare, put forth a number of options aimed at maximizing care access while minimizing risk. By Kat Jercich September 09, 2020 04:56 PM In a virtual public meeting this past Friday, members of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission discussed how – and whether – to permanently expand telehealth […]