The declared Public Health Emergency (PHE) under the Public Health Service Act will apparently be renewed at least one further time beyond its current July 15, 2022 expiration, as the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has repeatedly committed to provide a 60-day notice prior to the termination or expiration of the PHE, and mid-May has […]
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues across the United States, states, payers, and providers are looking for ways to expand access to telehealth services. Telehealth is an essential tool in ensuring patients are able to access the healthcare services they need in as safe a manner as possible. In order to provide our clients with quick […]
Pressure is ratcheting up on Congress to extend, and possibly make permanent, the eased access to telehealth for Medicare beneficiaries that has been in effect since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. On January 28, 45 members of Congress from both parties wrote to the leaders of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives urging them to introduce […]
By Robert Holly | April 13, 2022 The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Wednesday opted to renew the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), keeping in place several regulatory waivers that have been critical lifelines for home health and hospice operators since the start of 2020. While the extension itself is not surprising, it offers further stability […]
Three US senators have introduced legislation to increase access to virtual mental health services for children and underserved populations. By Mark Melchionna April 12, 2022 – To expand access to virtual mental health services, US Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), John Thune (R-SD), and Ben Cardin (D-MD) have introduced the Medicaid Ensuring Necessary Telehealth is Available Long-term (MENTAL) Health for […]
By Robert King Apr 13, 2022 03:11pm The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has extended the COVID-19 public health emergency for another 90 days and potentially for the final time. The PHE, which gives key flexibilities to providers and states, will not expire in July. The PHE was originally expected to expire April 16. It […]
Perhaps signaling the increasing likelihood of a permanent telehealth solution for the Medicare program, the Office of Inspector General for the US Department of Health and Human Services (OIG) has established a “Featured Topics” resource page on its website dedicated to telehealth and OIG’s work in evaluating telehealth policies. This telehealth resource page serves as a compendium […]
Thursday, March 24, 2022 There have been several significant developments with regard to Federal government telehealth policy. These include the recently enacted appropriations bill funding the Federal government for the balance of the fiscal year, a Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General data brief, the MedPAC annual report to Congress and […]
Last week saw a lot of great news in the world of telehealth. On March 15, President Biden signed into law H.R. 2471, the “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022”, which extends many of the Medicare telehealth flexibilities put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic for a period following the end of the Public Health Emergency (PHE). […]
Sixteen new projects have been selected to receive the funding in the last round of the program established in 2020 to support the advancement of connected care. By Anuja Vaidya March 23, 2022 – The Federal Communications Commission has selected 16 new Connected Care Pilot Program projects to receive $29.7 million in funding. This is the fourth and final set […]
The end of 2021 brings positive indications of the continued acceptance of telehealth as an important clinical care approach post public health emergency (“PHE”). The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”), like other payors, overhauled its approach to telehealth services in response to the COVID-19 PHE. In the CY 2022 Physician Fee Schedule Final […]
At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) quickly moved to waive a number of regulatory requirements. These waivers provided hospitals and health systems with critical flexibilities to manage what has been a prolonged and unpredictable pandemic. Hospitals and health systems used these newly permitted tools to increase […]
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (the Act), was passed by the U.S. House and Senate on March 9th and 10th, 2022, and signed into law by the President on March 15, 2022. The Act extends certain telehealth flexibilities for Medicare patients for 151 days after the official end of the federal public health emergency (PHE). Currently, the PHE […]
As the explosion of telemedicine continues during and, as many expect, after the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), state laws and regulations that affect the delivery of telemedicine services continue to expand and contract. In this three-part series, we explore key state regulatory considerations related to the provision of care through telehealth, including state licensure […]
The 2022 Congressional budget bill includes flexibilities for doctors to provide telehealth services to patients, according to the leader of the American College of Physicians (ACP). But the American Hospital Association (AHA) criticized lawmakers for removing additional COVID-19 relief from the omnibus spending bill approved by the House of Representatives and now in the Senate with a vote expected in coming […]