Senators and healthcare IT experts raised concerns this week that many in the United States cannot benefit from the recent boom in telehealth services because of a lack of affordable high-speed internet access across the country. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed so much about how people live their lives, but nothing changed so fundamentally as […]
More than 70 healthcare organizations will receive funding from the Federal Communications Commission’s COVID-19 Telehealth Program for projects aimed at expanding connected health platforms to improve access to care during the pandemic. By Eric Wicklund September 30, 2021 – More than 70 healthcare organizations will received federal funds for new connected health projects through the Federal Communications Commission’s […]
Several doctor groups are pressing the Biden administration to not just extend Medicare telehealth reimbursement flexibilities through 2023 but to be made permanent. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposed in the 2022 Physician Fee Schedule to extend telehealth flexibilities through 2023 instead of through the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency, which is expected […]
The Biden Administration is awarding nearly $1 billion in American Rescue Plan funding through the HRSA to about 1,300 health centers across the country for capital improvements, including telehealth expansion. By Eric Wicklund September 28, 2021 – The Biden Administration is shelling out almost $1 billion in American Rescue Plan funding to health centers in every state to […]
Several organizations have asked CMS to revise its proposed 2022 Physician Fee Schedule to permanently expand Medicare coverage for telehealth. By Eric Wicklund September 20, 2021 – Telehealth advocates are asking the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to amend the proposed 2022 Physician Fee Schedule to permanently extend emergency measures on telehealth access and coverage that were […]
WASHINGTON, September 29, 2021—The Federal Communications Commission today approved an additional 72 applications for funding commitments totaling $41,113,186 for Round 2 of its COVID-19 Telehealth Program. This is the FCC’s second funding announcement of approved Round 2 applications following the nearly $42 million awarded on August 26 to health care providers in each state, territory, […]
Resources Will Support COVID-19 and Primary Health Care Infrastructure Needsin Medically Underserved Communities Across All 50 States and U.S. Territories Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded nearly $1 billion in American Rescue Plan funding to nearly 1,300 Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Health Center Program-funded health centers in all […]
What’s the news: There are some major health care issues the massive budget-reconciliation package that Congress is working on this month must not overlook. Most important, these two policy concepts deserve to be included in the final legislation: Medicare program sustainability and postponement of impending physician payment cuts set to take effect in January. Continued access to telehealth in order […]
On July 13, 2021, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released an advance copy of the calendar year (CY) 2022 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) proposed payment rule, to be published on July 23, 2021. While the proposed rule introduces some new virtual care services (including Remote Therapeutic Monitoring), CMS rejected all requests to permanently […]
The National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC) is issuing an urgent call to action, imploring members to lobby lawmakers on the recently introduced Choose Home legislation. “You’re not the only ones asking Congress to do things. This is why you have to be extraordinarily loud,” NAHC President William Dombi told members Sunday evening […]
On July 23, 2021, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) released the CY 2022 Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule (“Proposed Rule”) which outlines several proposed changes to reimbursement of Medicare telehealth services. As a result of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (“PHE”), CMS instituted several waivers and flexibilities to allow increased access to […]
A mix of telehealth and personal visits can yield better results for patients than strictly in-person visits, according to a technology leader at Dallas-based home healthcare firm AccentCare. During a webinar Tuesday for the National Association for Home Care & Hospice, the company’s chief clinic innovation officer released findings from a telehealth study the company […]
A bipartisan Senate bill introduced in late July would increase Medicare beneficiaries’ access to home health after hospitalization. The Choose Home Care Act was introduced by Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan) and Todd Young (R-Indiana), with Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Maryland), Bob Casey (D-Pennsylvanina), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Maggie Hassan (D-New Hampshire), and James Lankford (R-Ohio) signing on […]
UNITED STATES — The United States Department of Agriculture is making up to $500 million available in grants to help rural healthcare facilities, tribes and communities expand access to COVID-19 vaccines, healthcare services and nutrition assistance. President Biden’s comprehensive plan to recover the economy and deliver relief to the American people is changing the course […]