California Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed several telehealth bills, making the state among a dozen to support payment parity, store-and-forward care and telemedicine abortions. By Eric Wicklund October 21, 2019 – A slew of telehealth bills signed this month by Governor Gavin Newsom positions California at the forefront of the connected health movement – including making the state […]
On October 11, 2019, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new law requiring commercial health insurance coverage and payment parity for telehealth services. The law will benefit patients by increasing access and availability to healthcare services, and catalyze the growth of telehealth technologies throughout California. California is representative of a growing national trend of states across the […]
Over the last decade, few issues in politics have been more polarizing than healthcare. It’s driven a deep wedge between Democrats and Republicans, particularly following the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the subsequent efforts to repeal it, and has caused rifts within those parties. Yet despite all the animosity, there is one […]
On October 3, President Trump issued an executive order on “protecting and improving Medicare for our nation’s seniors.” For now, it’s only a statement of intent, but there’s quite a bit to like among the stated intentions. I’ve long argued that both Republicans and Democrats focus too heavily on the demand side of health care […]
The California Department of Health Care Services (“DHCS”) recently revised its Medi-Cal telehealth policy to allow providers increased flexibility in their use of telehealth as a modality for delivering medically necessary services to their patients. The policy is retroactively effective as of July 1, 2019, and fee-for-service providers must submit claims for services provided via telehealth according to […]
The American Medical Association is adding several new codes to its 2020 CPT code set to support remote patient monitoring and telehealth services. By Eric Wicklund September 09, 2019 – Remote patient monitoring and telehealth play prominently in the 2020 CPT codes unveiled this month by the American Medical Association. Among the 248 new codes added […]
Six new codes that are part of the 2020 Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) code set will help physicians and others report a range of digital health services including electronic visits through secure patient portal messages. The new codes are spurred by digital health tools that are growing in popularity, such as patient portals. These tools […]
The American Medical Association (AMA) released updates to its Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes for 2020, including new codes to keep doctors up-to-date with new technology. The AMA released 394 code changes, including 248 new codes, 71 deletions and 75 revisions. The changes, which will take effect on January 1, 2020, reflect new tech-enabled patient services. […]
CHICAGO —The American Medical Association (AMA) today announced the release of the 2020 Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) code set containing identifiers and descriptors assigned to each medical, surgical, and diagnostic services available to patients. Trusted since 1966 as the health system’s common language, the CPT code set enables accurate reporting, measurement, analysis, and benchmarking of […]
12 August 2019 Health Care Law Today Blog Authors: Emily H. WeinNathaniel M. Lacktman On July 29, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its proposed 2020 Physician Fee Schedule rule, which contains new telehealth services covered under Medicare. Surprisingly, CMS did not receive any provider requests to add new telehealth services this […]
On July 29, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued three proposed rules on payment updates and policy changes for calendar year 2020 under 1) the Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Payment System (the OPPS Proposed Rule);1 2) the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (the PFS […]
Tuesday, August 6, 2019 Last week, CMS proposed two significant changes to remote patient monitoring (RPM) services reimbursed under the Medicare program. The changes, part of the proposed 2020 Physician Fee Schedule, have been hotly anticipated by digital health providers hoping to see more clarity and flexibility for RPM services. The creation of new RPM codes at the […]
Proposed Policy, Payment, and Quality Provisions Changes to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for Calendar Year 2020 On July 29, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule that includes proposals to update payment policies, payment rates, and quality provisions for services furnished under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) […]
By Maggie Flynn | July 28, 2019 Skilled nursing providers are becoming increasingly interested in telehealth technology as a way of improving clinical outcomes and reducing care costs. But systemic obstacles blocking capital investment — and SNFs’ generally narrow margins — and cultural resistance mean that it’s hard for providers to implement the technology, Lana […]