The federal government on Friday unveiled a series of new test benefits that certain Medicare Advantage plans can offer, including expanded telehealth coverage — marking yet another push toward remote health care benefits. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will implement the programs under the Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) model, which seeks to […]
CMS is updating its Value-Based Insurance Design model of care to allow telehealth to replace certain in-person medical visits in Medicare Advantage plans. By Eric Wicklund January 18, 2019 – Healthcare providers treating patients on Medicare Advantage plans may soon be able to use telehealth in place of in-person care when appropriate. The update was one […]
The American Academy of Family Physicians says proposed changes to Medicare Advantage plans will improve members’ access to telehealth, but they may also support direct-to-consumer channels at the expanse of the primary care provider. By Eric Wicklund December 28, 2018 – The national organization representing family physicians is pushing back against proposed changes to Medicare Advantage […]
The landscape of US healthcare is changing, both geographically and technologically. Healthcare providers are not only beginning to implement new technologies such as the cloud, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT) into their care modules, but are also shifting care out of the hospital into clinics, and even into patient’s homes. These […]
CMS has released new rules overhauling Medicare’s accountable care organizations (ACO) program. Called “Pathways to Success,” the new policies shorten risk-free periods and offer more regulatory flexibility, including for providing telehealth to people in their homes, among other changes. In recent years, home health companies have become more involved in ACOs, seeing it as an […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Friday finalized its new set of rules for accountable care organizations (ACOs), removing the no-risk tracks that represented financial drains on Medicare and expanding three-day stay waivers for nursing homes. Under the new “Pathways to Success” model, most new ACOs will only have two years to […]
Forthcoming policies from CMS will open up the home as a covered site of care in which hospitals can earn payment. Susan Morse, Senior Editor This past October, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services came out with an eagerly-anticipated new rule expanding the ways providers can use telehealth and get paid by Medicare Advantage […]
As part of the 2019 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule (Final Rule) published on November 23, 2018,1 the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) took significant steps toward modernizing Medicare to expand reimbursement for virtual care, telehealth coverage and care coordination. In the Final Rule, CMS expands reimbursement for “virtual care” patient services, […]
Good news for Americans who use Medicare Advantage. The Trump administration is proposing a new Medicare rule that will enable more Medicare Advantage enrollees to access telemedicine, a form of health care delivery that uses information technology and telecommunications tools to deliver traditional medical care to patients. This is especially helpful to patients living in […]
November 27, 2018 Laura Joszt CMS is moving home health agencies away from a volume-based payment model and to a new value-based payment system. The Patient-Driven Groupings Model would focus on patient needs and rely more heavily on patient characteristics in order to pay for home health services. CMS is moving home health agencies away […]
Connected care advocates are pressuring Congress to pass the RUSH Act, which aims to increase telehealth and telemedicine services in senior care facilities. By Eric Wicklund November 19, 2018 – Connected care advocates are lobbying Congress to pass the Reducing Unnecessary Senior Hospitalizations (RUSH) Act of 2018, which aims to reduce rehospitalizations at qualified skilled nursing facilities by […]
[pdf-embedder url=”https://mtelehealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Medicare-Expands-Payment-for-Telehealth-and-Remote-Patient-Monitoring-Services-1.pdf” title=”Medicare Expands Payment for Telehealth and Remote Patient Monitoring Services”] Through several recently published rules, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is making it possible for Medicare beneficiaries to have greater access to health care services provided remotely through telehealth or “telehealth-like” methods and to implement telehealth provisions included in the […]
Telehealth is changing the face of healthcare, and Medicare must adapt, said the CMS administrator. Innovation is vital to the evolution and sustainability of the American healthcare system, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is working to be part of the transformation, according to its administrator. In a speech on Thursday to […]
On November 1, 2018, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released in pre-publication form the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) Final Rule for Calendar Year (CY) 2019 (PFS Final Rule) [1]. The PFS Final Rule contains a number of significant changes, including: • providing for reimbursement for communication technology-based services and expanding access […]
Beginning next year, CMS will reimburse providers using store-and-forward telehealth (also known as asynchronous telehealth) to analyze and diagnose images sent to them from established patients. By Eric Wicklund November 12, 2018 – Healthcare providers looking for new ways to implement telehealth and telemedicine are getting a Christmas present from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid […]