In light of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has updated its FAQs on Medicare coverage for telehealth services. April 13, 2020 – The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has updated its guidance document on Medicare reimbursement for telehealth services during the Coronavirus pandemic. In its 38-page FAQ update unveiled last week, […]
On March 27th, Congress passed and the President signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the CARES Act). On both the federal and state levels we have seen efforts to support social distancing in the health care sector by increasing the use of telehealth. On the federal side, we have seen the continued relaxation of […]
On Friday, President Donald Trump’s signature finalized a record-breaking $2 trillion stimulus package, officially titled the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The act’s aim: to provide much needed financial relief to both individuals and businesses during the COVID-19 crisis. While the CARES Act does a number of things, it specifically sets aside […]
Is a $0 visit fee telehealth service considered significant care? Regulators have not answered this question, although millions of Americans have access to telehealth and HDHP plans. Given everything going on, it’s time for some good news. The recently passed Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act has clarified that a $0-visit-fee telehealth service […]
Earlier this week the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) passed the Senate and today has passed the House. President Trump has indicated that he will immediately sign the CARES Act. The Act makes numerous employee benefit changes, one of which is specifically allowing telehealth coverage for high deductible health plans (“HDHP”). […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
