Although providing services to patients virtually can improve provider efficiency, it’s important to consider individual technological capabilities. By Kat JercichJune 26, 2020 Home-based primary care allows individuals with chronic conditions – especially older people – to stay in their homes longer, so reducing hospitalization rates and improving quality of life. As the COVID-19 crisis has made […]
Friday, June 26th, 2020 WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 26, 2020)—The preview of the CY 2021 home health proposed rule, Medicare and Medicaid Programs; CY 2021 Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate Update; Home Health Quality Reporting Requirements; and Home Infusion Therapy Services Requirements, has been posted. The proposal is light compared to recent years’ proposed rules, but […]
By Bailey Bryant | June 25, 2020 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is proposing to make telehealth flexibilities for home health providers introduced in light of the coronavirus permanent. Yet providers would still be forced to provide the virtual care without payment. CMS detailed that proposal and others Thursday afternoon, along with its annual suggested update […]
By Bailey Bryant | June 15, 2020 The health care sector has long had the capability to use telehealth, but it took the COVID-19 emergency to prompt widespread adoption. After three months of the crisis, emerging data is now making the sweeping rate of that adoption clearer. Seniors are among the most susceptible to the COVID-19 virus. Recently […]
Many home care providers jumped at the chance to create new Medicare Advantage (MA) business lines after the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) began making supplemental benefits more flexible more than two years ago. Now, those same providers that got into MA early are beginning to better understand the space while hunting […]
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 […]
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 […]
Tuesday, June 2, 2020 As previously reported, Congress and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have removed longstanding regulatory barriers to the broad deployment of telehealth for general care during the COVID-19 pandemic. In parallel, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act has established the Federal Communication Commission (“FCC”) COVID-19 Telehealth Program, (the […]
A new Health Affairs article notes how community health centers have struggled to use telehealth before and during COVID-19, and offers advice to help CHCs embrace connected health in the future. By Eric Wicklund June 03, 2020 – Community health centers will need a good grasp of telehealth to survive both the coronavirus pandemic and what lies beyond. […]
A group of Senators is seeking more than $200 million in the next coronavirus relief bill to, among other things, expand telehealth programs at home and in schools to help children with behavioral health needs. Source: ThinkStockShare on Twitter By Eric Wicklund June 02, 2020 – A group of Senators is calling for increased funding for children’s behavioral […]
Long Term Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities and/or Nursing Facilities): CMS Flexibilities to Fight COVID-19 Since the beginning of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, the Trump Administration has issued an unprecedented array of temporary regulatory waivers and new rules to equip the American healthcare system with maximum flexibility to respond to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus […]
Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs): CMS Flexibilities to Fight COVID-19 Since the beginning of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, the Trump Administration has issued an unprecedented array of temporary regulatory waivers and new rules to equip the American healthcare system with maximum flexibility to respond to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus […]
Home Health Agencies: CMS Flexibilities to Fight COVID-19 Since the beginning of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, the Trump Administration has issued an unprecedented array of temporary regulatory waivers and new rules to equip the American healthcare system with maximum flexibility to respond to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. These temporary changes will apply […]
Hospice: CMS Flexibilities to Fight COVID-19 Since the beginning of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, the Trump Administration has issued an unprecedented array of temporary regulatory waivers and new rules to equip the American healthcare system with maximum flexibility to respond to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. These temporary changes will apply immediately across […]
During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, HHS has taken steps to make it easier to provide telehealth services. Telehealth — sometimes referred to as telemedicine — describes the use of 2-way communication technology for certain health care services. We encourage health care providers to adopt and use telehealth as a way to safely provide care to […]