Learn What’s New for FY 2024 CMS issued FY 2024 Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) and Long Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System (LTCH PPS) final rules to update IPPS hospital and LTCH Medicare payment policies. See a summary of key provisions effective October 1, 2023. On January 30, 2023, the Biden Administration announced its intent to end the national […]
Telehealth changes that helped physicians and patients during the COVID-19 pandemic could become permanent under a new bill pending in Congress. Meanwhile, another leading physician group is supporting site-neutral payment for medical services. The two issues have sparked renewed discussion this month due to proposals by federal policy makers. CONNECT in Congress A bipartisan group of 60 […]
Dive Brief: Dive Insight: Permanently expanding telemedicine access has broad bipartisan support in Congress. A number of bills have been introduced to codify more telehealth protections after COVID-19, including CONNECT, which is considered the most comprehensive virtual care legislation by advocacy groups. Since CONNECT was first introduced in 2016, a number of the bill’s original provisions have […]
What’s the news: A bipartisan group of 60 senators has reintroduced the Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act. The CONNECT for Health Act, S. 2016, will expand coverage of telehealth services through Medicare, make permanent COVID-19 telehealth flexibilities, improve health outcomes, and make it easier for patients to connect […]
June 16, 2023 – In support of continued telehealth access, a bipartisan group of 60 United States senators reintroduced the Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act to expand Medicare coverage of telehealth, sustain virtual care flexibilities, enhance health outcomes, and ease healthcare communication. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the efficacy of telehealth. Greater […]
The CONNECT For Health Act has been filed again in both the Senate and House, and supporters say the groundswell for expanded telehealth coverage and services could finally give the bill the momentum it needs for passage. KEY TAKEAWAYS The CONNECT for Health Act, first introduced in 2016, aims to expand oportunities and coverage for […]
Tuesday, June 6, 2023 Telehealth experienced massive growth during the COVID-19 pandemic, due in no small part to various regulatory and reimbursement policies that federal agencies implemented following a declaration by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in early 2020 that the COVID-19 pandemic was a public health emergency (PHE). Although the […]
Consumers with health saving accounts and high-deducible health plans would be able to continue to access telehealth services without having to meet their minimum deductible under legislation reintroduced in Congress last week. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth became an important tool used by families, seniors and rural communities to access quality, affordable health care,” said Rep. Michelle Steel, […]
In anticipation of critical telehealth flexibilities expiring on Dec. 31, US Representatives Michelle Steel (CA-48), Brad Schneider (IL-10), and Susie Lee (NV-3), along with a bipartisan group of 30 Congress members, sent a letter requesting that House leadership include two pieces of legislation that extend some flexibilities in a year-end package. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, patients […]
After the COVID-19 pandemic changed telehealth, expanding access to the digital health care under temporary emergency policies, two House members said that congressional efforts are trying to expand Medicare’s virtual flexibilities beyond temporary pandemic efforts at an Axios event on Wednesday. According to CDC data from October, approximately 37% of adults in the U.S. used telemedicine in […]
The CMS Behavioral Health Strategy covers multiple elements including access to prevention and treatment services for substance use disorders, mental health services, crisis intervention and pain care; and further enable care that is well-coordinated and effectively integrated. The CMS Behavioral Health Strategy also seeks to remove barriers to care and services, and to adopt a […]
When the pandemic first hit in early 2020, Americans were faced with unprecedented challenges. Accessing safe and timely health care services was something that everyone from seniors to new parents struggled with as offices shuttered and millions quarantined. Health care providers had to swiftly adapt to the changing environment to provide care, and officials stepped […]
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic spurred a drastic increase in telehealth utilization across the country, which meaningfully changed the way providers deliver care and illuminated novel state telehealth policy design challenges. As the U.S. shifts into a new care paradigm where telehealth is more commonly used to deliver care, states are actively reviewing and […]
The House passed a bill Wednesday to expand telehealth services that were first introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The legislation, titled the Advancing Telehealth Beyond COVID–19 Act, passed in a 416-12 vote. Eleven Republicans and one Democrat objected to the measure. Two Republicans did not vote. Reps. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.), Warren Davidson (R-Ohio), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Jody Hice (R-Ga.), […]
Despite numerous bills to solidify telehealth flexibilities enacted during the pandemic, none have passed in Congress, leaving the future of telehealth access and adoption uncertain. By Anuja Vaidya June 20, 2022 – The significant spike in the use of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic was made possible by numerous legislative waivers that were quickly enacted as in-person care […]