The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly for a bipartisan bill that extends Medicare telehealth payment and regulatory flexibilities through the end of 2024. The House’s 416–12 vote last week is a manifestation of the massive support among lawmakers, patients and physicians to build on the gains of telehealth seen during the COVID-19 pandemic and ensure it continues […]
On July 7, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its annual proposed rule updating the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) for calendar year (CY) 2023, which included various proposed changes related to the provision of telehealth, including implementing telehealth provisions included within the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, and extending coverage through the end of […]
A bill that would extend telehealth waivers until the end of 2024 has been passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. The news is notable because it means that these pandemic-relief telehealth flexibilities could be untied from the public health emergency (PHE). Currently, the PHE is set to expire in October, but could receive another […]
DA 22-805 Released: July 29, 2022 WC Docket No. 20-89 By this Public Notice, the Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) extends two deadlines for Round 2 of the COVID-19 Telehealth Program (COVID-19 Program). First, in response to recent requests from awardees, we extend the deadline for funding recipients to purchase eligible devices and implement eligible services […]
Leave it to a global pandemic to demonstrate the shortcomings of the U.S. healthcare system to provide modern, accessible care to its most vulnerable citizens. While the health system rose to the occasion on many fronts, the negative influence of non-medical factors, often referred to as social determinants of health (SDOH), contributed to a lack of access to affordable, […]
It started out as a $4 trillion infrastructure package; but nearly a year and a half later, Biden’s Build Back Better initiative is now a $40 billion healthcare bill. The whittling down of the package was mostly the work of one senator, Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Manchin has successfully hacked away at the […]
The House passed a bill Wednesday to expand telehealth services that were first introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The legislation, titled the Advancing Telehealth Beyond COVID–19 Act, passed in a 416-12 vote. Eleven Republicans and one Democrat objected to the measure. Two Republicans did not vote. Reps. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.), Warren Davidson (R-Ohio), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Jody Hice (R-Ga.), […]
By Lyle Solomon According to reports, 50 percent of Americans suffer from a chronic illness, which accounts for 86 percent of healthcare expenses. Numerous institutions continue to use conventional chronic care models involving irregular, pricey, and uncomfortable in-person visits. How will hospitals deliver more comprehensive, timely, and reasonably priced care in the future? Implementing remote patient monitoring […]
ATA and ATA Action shared high levels of support for new telehealth legislation supporting the expansion of PHE flexibilities. By Mark Melchionna July 26, 2022 – The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) and ATA Action said it strongly supports the expansion of public health emergency (PHE) flexibilities sponsored by US Representatives Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Liz Cheney (R-WY). The […]
A new survey shows that a majority of Americans support legislation that would expand asynchronous telehealth, thereby increasing access to care, particularly mental healthcare. By Mark Melchionna July 21, 2022 – Two-thirds (69 percent) of Americans are in favor of legislation to expand access to asynchronous telehealth, according to a new survey. Telehealth company Hims & Hers Health worked […]
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) has extended the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) for another 90 days. A continued federally declared emergency allows flexibilities instituted by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to remain intact, such as 1135 waivers of certain hospice rules. These flexibilities permitted the use […]
Despite bad news on the fee cut, some provisions on ACOs have doctors cheering by Joyce Frieden, Washington Editor, MedPage July 15, 2022 WASHINGTON — Physician group responses to the proposed 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule ranged from disappointment over the proposed 4.4% overall payment cut to praise for many of the provisions related to accountable […]
MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – Patients with COVID-19 who tracked their experience and symptoms from the virus remotely had positive outcomes, a study published Thursday indicates. The study, published in The Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open by the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network, found that those who activated remote […]
On July 7, 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the CY 2023 Revisions to Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule and Other Revisions to Medicare Part B Proposed Rule, which was published in the Federal Register on July 29, 2022. The proposed rule includes proposals related to Medicare physician payment […]
July 07, 2022 The federal COVID-19 public health emergency’s (PHE) current expiration date is just one week away—July 14, 2022. While no official extension has been issued by the Biden-Harris administration yet, it is increasingly likely that the PHE will be extended for at least another 90 days. Previously, the federal government had pledged to […]