HB6074
The Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) – 2020 Medicare Learning Network Telehealth Services Booklet
MLN Booklet TELEHEALTH SERVICES ICN MLN901705 March 2020 Target Audience: Medicare Fee-For-Service Providers The Hyperlink Table, at the end of this document, provides the complete URL for each hyperlink. TABLE OF CONTENTS Originating Sites………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 3 Distant Site Practitioners……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4 Telehealth Services……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4 Telehealth Services Billing and Payment………………………………………………………………………………. 7 Telehealth Originating Sites Billing and Payment………………………………………………………………….. 8 […]
As Coronavirus Concerns Grow, Skilled Nursing Facilities Find Relief in Telehealth — But Gaps Remain
With concerns around staffing and supply shortages in nursing homes amid the coronavirus, telemedicine has emerged as a key potential weapon, receiving the first-ever major green light for reimbursement on the national level — as part of an $8.3 billion bill allowing the federal government to cover remote care for Medicare recipients passed last Wednesday. But the […]
Coronavirus Appropriations Act Eases Restrictions on Medicare Telehealth Reimbursement during Emergency
One of the major hurdles to the expansion of telehealth has been the Medicare “originating site” requirement. This requirement limits Medicare telehealth reimbursement to services delivered in a physician’s office or healthcare facility in a rural area, but not in a home or non-rural area. In a shift, the “Telehealth Services During Certain Emergency Periods […]
CMS Issues COVID-19 Prevention Guidance for Hospices
The U.S. Centers for Health & Human Services (CMS) has issued guidelines for protecting health care workers who operate in the home and community from COVID-19, including hospice providers. The CMS materials contain guidance for screening for and treatment of the virus in addition to when patients should be transitioned to higher acuity care. The agency recommended […]
Pence: Major health insurers have agreed to waive copays for coronavirus tests
Vice President Pence said Tuesday that a group of major health insurance companies have agreed not to charge patients copays when they get tested for coronavirus. Pence made the comments at a meeting at the White House with the CEOs of major health insurance companies aimed at encouraging people to get tested by removing cost […]
CMS Issues Home Health COVID-19 Guidance, Eases Supplies Standards
After days of issuing updated guidance for skilled nursing operators and other Medicare providers regarding COVID-19, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is now turning its attention to home health agencies. CMS issued home health guidance related to infection control and prevention for COVID-19 — often referred to as the coronavirus — on […]
Coronavirus Scare Likely to Boost Telehealth Adoption Among Home-Based Care Providers
On Thursday, the Senate approved a bill that will provide $8.3 billion in emergency funds to help mitigate the effects of COVID-19, otherwise known as the coronavirus. Apart from funding, the bill made major changes to telehealth statutes, possibly allowing home-based care providers to both rely heavier on telehealth tools and be properly reimbursed for […]
COVID-19 Update: Reimbursement issues – Who is picking up the tab for coronavirus testing?
Insurance coverageIn a statement on March 6, 2020, the Board of Directors for America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) announced that insurers are voluntarily covering the diagnostic testing of COVID-19 (coronavirus) when ordered by a physician. AHIP said that health insurers are taking action to ease network referral and prior authorization requirements and/or waiving patient cost-sharing. Additionally, AHIP […]
Telehealth Shaping Up for COVID-19
Cardiology illustrates what specialties can do to be ready As COVID-19 coronavirus encroaches into communities across the U.S., cardiology’s use of telemedicine could set a precedent for what specialties can do with the technology to both protect coronavirus-vulnerable patients and manage comorbidity that arises. “Self-quarantine and social distancing are important tools in managing disease transmission, […]
AS CORONAVIRUS SPREADS, MEDICARE GETS TELEMEDICINE OPTION
WASHINGTON (AP) — The coronavirus legislation signed by President Donald Trump on Friday lets Medicare expand the use of telemedicine in outbreak areas, potentially reducing infection risks for vulnerable seniors. Coverage of telemedicine is now limited primarily to residents of rural areas facing long road trips for treatment from specialists. The law allows the government […]
TELEHEALTH’S BIG MOMENT, WITH CAVEATS
Despite a win in the $8.3 billion coronavirus package, telehealth advocates and their allies in Congress are still pushing for broader changes, they tell us. A provision in the package lets HHS Secretary Alex Azar waive Medicare telehealth payment restrictions during the coronavirus emergency. It’s narrower than what telehealth advocates — including the Alliance for Connected […]
Feds look to telehealth to rein in Covid-19 coronavirus
If brick-and-mortar facilities are overloaded, “keeping people out of the health care system physically could be in everybody’s interest.” By Allison Bell | March 06, 2020 at 10:43 AM The CDC “wants to identify the right level of care for the right situation, whether it’s telehealth, urgent care, nurse hotline or emergency room, or office.” The official in […]