Medicare Proposes (and Rejects) New Telehealth Services for 2019 Wednesday, August 8, 2018 The telemedicine industry was pleased to learn CMS recently proposed adding new services to its list of Medicare-covered telehealth services. But what may be more interesting are the services CMS declined to add, and why. This article summarizes the newly-proposed additions as well as the services […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has finalized a rule it says will improve interoperability, reduce the reporting burden under meaningful use, and allow healthcare providers to spend more time with their patients while saving hospitals and other medical facilities millions of dollars each year. CMS said the final rule, announced last Thursday, […]
Monday, July 30, 2018 Where Things Stood Understanding the impact of what we have seen so far this year first requires an understanding of where we were at the end of 2017, with respect to both Medicare reimbursement and provider adoption of telehealth solutions. Hospitals and health systems have long understood that digital health technologies […]
[pdf-embedder url=”https://mtelehealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/2019-Medicare-Physician-Fee-Schedule-and-Quality-Payment-Program-CMS-Proposed-Rule-CPT-Codes-990X0-990X1-and-994X9-2018-07-12.pdf” title=”2019 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and Quality Payment Program – CMS Proposed Rule – CPT Codes 990X0, 990X1, and 994X9 – 2018-07-12″] CMS’ explanation for its bold, new proposal: “We now recognize that advances in communication technology have changed patients’ and practitioners’ expectations regarding the quantity and quality of information that can be […]
Digital health expert Nathaniel Lacktman breaks down CMS’ proposed 2019 Physician Fee Schedule and Quality Payment Program, examining how it should boost support for services like remote patient management and store-and-forward telehealth. By Eric Wicklund July 20, 2018 – Earlier this month, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services unveiled its proposed 2019 Medicare Physician Fee […]
by Evan Sweeney | Jul 16, 2018 2:10pm CMS estimated that reimbursing for virtual check-ins would reach an estimated 19 million visits per year. Telehealth advocates are rejoicing over last week’s physician payment proposal that would reimburse physicians for certain virtual interactions, a move that some see as a significant first step in overcoming the […]
Written by Julie Spitzer | July 17, 2018 | CMS made a series of suggestions to expand telehealth in its latest Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and Quality Payment Program, a 1,473-page proposal released July 12. Here are five telehealth changes CMS proposed: 1. Although CMS has bundled “routine non-face-to-face communication” into the cost of in-person visits, the […]
July 16, 2018 by David Raths To get around legal restrictions on telehealth reimbursement, CMS expands its definition of ‘communication technology–based services’ Among all the proposed changes the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) rolled out last week, ones related to telehealth drew considerable interest. Although it can’t use its regulatory power to change […]
Many health IT industry groups, policy experts and other industry stakeholders continue to delve into the 1,473-page proposed rule released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on July 12 that provides updates to the Physician Fee Schedule and Quality Payment Program (QPP), which encapsulates the Medicare Incentive-based Payment Program (MIPS) and Advanced […]
Wednesday, July 18, 2018 Two federal agencies – the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) and the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) – announced separate initiatives last week that stand to increase patient access to telehealth services. Proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for Calendar Year 2019. The CY 2019 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule (the “Proposed […]
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released its new proposed Physician Fee Schedule and Qualified Payment Program updates for 2019, and the announcement includes some big strides forward in promoting digital health technology, including widened telemedicine coverage, an overhaul of documentation requirements, and a new focus on interoperability. “Today is a huge win for […]
by Joanne Finnegan | Jul 13, 2018 8:21am The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule on Thursday making what officials called “historic changes” to the Medicare program aimed at restoring the doctor-patient relationship. The federal agency issued the 1,473 page proposed rule (PDF) to update the Medicare physician fee schedule and […]
Date 2018-07-12 Title Proposed Policy, Payment, and Quality Provisions Changes to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for Calendar Year 2019 Contact press@cms.hhs.gov Proposed Policy, Payment, and Quality Provisions Changes to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for Calendar Year 2019 On July 12, 2018, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule […]
Virtual Visits for Established Patients The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), for the first time, has proposed payment for virtual visits to established patients regardless of such patients’ location, effective January 1, 2019. The new service is described in CMS’ Notice of Proposed Rulemaking entitled Revisions to Payment Policies under the Physician Fee […]
Some very good news for the telehealth community can be found amidst the more than 1,400 pages of the proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for 2019 (“Proposed Rule”) issued by CMS yesterday. Finally, CMS acknowledges just how far behind Medicare has lagged in recognizing and paying for physician services furnished via communications technology. Virtual Check-In The longstanding […]