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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
The industry of telehealth is expanding for many reasons, including increased access to technology, a demand for more affordable health services and the desire for convenient care. Research findings projected a compound annual growth rate between 2014 and 2020 of 18.4% for telehealth services. Telehealth can reduce initial hospital admissions, readmissions, length of stay and mortality rates. By expanding telehealth services […]
Top mHealth trends in 2019 included remote patient monitoring, telehealth reimbursement, substance use disorder care, chronic disease management, and direct-to-consumer mHealth technology. By Samantha McGrail As 2019 comes to an end, healthcare organizations are reflecting on the trends and stories that most influenced their behaviors in the past year. Based on our most clicked stories […]
In Washington’s increasingly toxic atmosphere – filled with impeachment hearings, the jostling of the Democratic primary, and an obsession with trivial gaffes and scandal over substance – it can be hard to notice when members of both parties collaborate to try and achieve something positive. Fortunately, it does still happen. One example is a bipartisan […]
Foley & Lardner’s third state-by-state survey of telehealth coverage reports a ‘sea change’ in legislative activity to require commercial payers to reimburse providers for connected health services. By Eric Wicklund December 03, 2019 – Commercial payers are jumping – or being pulled – aboard the telehealth bandwagon, according to a new analysis of state telehealth reimbursement […]
Two years after Foley’s 2017 Telemedicine and Digital Health Survey uncovered a demand for telemedicine and digital health services, as well as coverage and reimbursement to match the growing demand, Foley explores how each state has responded in its 2019 50-State Telehealth Survey plus District of Columbia (DC) of Commercial Payer Statutes. The survey found that as […]
CARE MANAGEMENT SERVICES CMS is taking steps to further refine the codes for transitional care management (TCM) and chronic care management (CCM). They have also created new codes for principal care management (PCM) services for patients that have only one serious condition. Transitional Care Management (TCM) CMS has finalized their proposal to allow for concurrent […]
Medi-Cal, California’s sprawling Medicaid program, is working under new rules expanding reimbursement for telemedicine. Medi-Cal currently serves more than 13.5 million residents. Telemedicine is increasingly seen as a way to help the hard-pressed program carry out its mission while the state struggles with a growing shortage of doctors. The new rules offer pay parity for […]