On April 5, 2019, CMS issued final rules (the Final Rule) implementing various provisions of the 2018 Bipartisan Budget Act (the 2018 Budget). The 2018 Budget includes provisions allowing Medicare Advantage plans to provide telehealth benefits as basic benefits, which are paid for by the Medicare program, rather than solely as supplemental benefits, which are […]
As patient preferences have evolved over the last decade, new forms of providing healthcare and home health services have continued to unfold. One popular trend is the rise of telehealth. For most providers, telehealth can mean a lower cost of providing health service and for patients as it offers convenience and increased access to care. […]
By Casey Ross @caseymross Federal health officials on Monday unveiled a new primary care experiment that seeks to pay doctors for providing stepped-up services that keep patients healthy and out of the hospital, an effort they say will transform basic medical services for tens of millions of American patients. The initiative, called CMS Primary Cares, […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) has published a final rule that will expand access to telehealth services for Medicare Advantage (“MA”) plan enrollees.[1]CMS Administrator Seema Verma characterized the agency’s latest policymaking efforts as “a historic step in bringing innovative technology to Medicare beneficiaries” and a way for the agency to provide “greater flexibility to Medicare Advantage […]
Contract Year 2020 Medicare Advantage and Part D Flexibility Final Rule (CMS-4185-F) On April 5, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule that updates the Medicare Advantage (MA or Part C) and Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit (Part D) programs by promoting innovative plan designs, improved quality, and choices for […]
The federal government released a breakdown of strategies that accountable care organizations (ACOs) have used to successfully partner with skilled nursing facilities — a move that could indicate policymakers’ continued support of the care models. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released a care coordination toolkit for ACOs that drew from focus […]
By Tim Mullaney | April 15, 2019 Recently finalized Medicare Advantage (MA) policy changes will likely bring more telehealth services to senior living communities. Under the new policies, finalized on April 5 by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Medicare Advantage plans will be allowed to cover telehealth services that originate from beneficiaries’ […]
The expansion of telehealth is changing the landscape of health care. This is the second in a four-part series exploring what providers should know about this growing area. Before 2015, Medicare did not pay separately for telehealth, and telehealth and telemedicine services were bundled into “evaluation and management” codes. However, in 2015, the Center for […]
The rule updates give Medicare Advantage plans the flexibility to offer telehealth as a covered benefit, boosting patient care access. By Sara Heath April 09, 2019 – CMS has finalized updates that would introduce telehealth as a covered benefit in Medicare Advantage plans, which will ideally improve patient care access. This move comes as a part […]
On Friday, April 5, 2019, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) announced that it had finalized policies allowing Medicare Advantage plans (“MA Plans”) to include additional telehealth benefits in their basic benefit packages starting in 2020. The final rule implementing the changes (the “Final Rule”) will be published in the Federal Register on April 16, […]
Providers will be able to offer more telemedicine services to seniors in private Medicare plans, thanks to changes announced Friday. But nursing home advocates are pushing for more, hoping the technology can help ease the industry’s ongoing staffing challenges. Under the final rule starting in plan year 2020, nursing facility patients on Part C plans […]
By Meredith Parnell on April 9, 2019h Last week the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced significant policy changes for Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D programs. On April 1, 2019, CMS released the calendar year 2020 Rate Announcement and Call Letter, and on April 5, 2019, CMS release the unpublished version of […]
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized a rule proposed in October 2018 that loosens regulations on telehealth services offered in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. For context, MA is a type of health insurance offered by private insurers to consumers 65 and up as an alternative to the government’s traditional Medicare program. Membership […]
A final rule issued by CMS on April 5 cemented policies to increase plan choices and benefits for enrollees in the Medicare Advantage (MA) and Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit (Part D) programs, opening those beneficiaries to supplemental services like telehealth and streamlining the appeals process for those unsatisfied with their healthcare. The final rule, which […]
CMS has finalized new rules unveiled last year that will expand telehealth access and reimbursement for the growing number of Americans in Medicare Advantage plans – and their doctors. By Eric Wicklund April 08, 2019 – The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has finalized its plan to expand telehealth access and coverage in Medicare Advantage […]