Physicians have been challenged to reinvent their practices in order to accommodate their patients during the Covid-19 pandemic. The growing market of remote patient monitoring (RPM) has become a sought-after solution as indicated by recent increased demand and supply shortages. As such, GlobalData expects the RPM market to double over the next five years. As […]
The COVID-19 virus has thrown a wrench into any home health care plans the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) initially had for 2020. Instead of mainly focusing on the launch of the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) and other initiatives, the agency has had to make a slew of critical decisions in support […]
Stakeholders are calling on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to make telehealth policy changes permanent. Healthcare stakeholders are calling for telehealth policy changes made during the COVID-19 pandemic to remain even after the pandemic ends. Since March, federal organizations such as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have taken steps […]
Medicare Advantage plans need to figure out how the delay of care due to the COVID-19 pandemic will impact their risk scores in the long term, experts say. Many of the services that have been deferred by consumers would have made up the sources of diagnoses that plans would have used to establish risk scores for […]
The Federal Trade Commission has offered its views on several proposals to expand Medicare and Medicaid coverage for telehealth services after the COVID-19 emergency is over. June 05, 2020 – The Federal Trade Commission is joining the groundswell of support for developing new CMS telehealth coverage policies beyond the coronavirus pandemic. In a letter sent last month to […]
On May 29th, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) submitted a comment to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in support of reducing reimbursement requirements for telehealth services. CMS accepted public comments for its new Interim Final Rule published on April 6, 2020, 85 FR 19230, which changes the Medicare payment regulations to allow for more flexible […]
By: Bill Dacey June 3, 2020 For several years, we’ve seen Medicare and the American Medical Association’s Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) manual slowly approach the age of telehealth. Despite a lot of discussion and many headlines during each of the past few years, the codes and coverage embracing the modern age of medicine have lagged […]
By Robert Holly | May 18, 2020 Despite significant roadblocks, the home health industry is getting closer to securing direct reimbursement for visits delivered via telehealth technology, industry insiders believe. Over the past two few months, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the White House have taken numerous steps to ramp up the use of telehealth services […]
aTouchAway a lifeline for families who can’t visit hospitals, nursing homes due to COVID-19 Kim Schrader often becomes emotional when she talks about her patients at the Queensway Carleton Hospital, but she’s worried about their families, too. With visits halted nearly two months ago due to COVID-19, Schrader, the clinical manager of the hospital’s rehabilitation and transition to […]
— We need to usher in a new era of patient care by Jeffrey Davis May 24, 2020 The COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly accelerated the adoption of telehealth, with emergency physicians delivering care whenever patients need it, and wherever they are located. “The genie’s out of the bottle,” said Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator […]
MAY 28, 2020 American Medical Association If you are trying to figure out how to properly code for the evolving way you care for patients during the pandemic—those with COVID-19 and those without—the AMA recently updated several user-friendly resources designed to guide you through the process. Featured updates: COVID-19 Track the evolving situation with the […]
The number of CMS beneficiaries has grown from 12,000 weekly telehealth visits to “well into six figures” during the pandemic, and both President Donald Trump and CMS Administrator Seema Verma aim to continue those benefits. Kellyanne Conway, assistant to the president and senior counselor, and Ms. Verma spoke at a recent news teleconference and discussed, among other […]
Although this may soon change, home health providers remain limited in using telehealth technologies in their day-to-day operations. In March, Congress made it clear through the CARES Act that the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) should do everything in its power to promote the use of telehealth tools during the COVID-19 emergency. Many home health […]
New guidelines for stroke triage published in the AHA’s Stroke journal call on first responders to use telehealth and mHealth to screen and diagnose patients and ensure speedy transport to the right care facility. By Eric Wicklund May 28, 2020 – A team of stroke experts has published new guidelines calling for the increased use of telemedicine during […]
May 27, 2020By Rich Daly, HFMA senior writer and editor Medicare considering making telehealth expansion permanent, Verma says Medicare is reviewing whether to make telehealth waivers permanent. Waivers have expanded provider eligibility lists and available payment from Medicare. Hospitals are asking Congress to expand other federal telehealth programs. Medicare is reviewing whether to make permanent […]