“The question of how telehealth can improve hospital revenue cycles is an evolving area worthy of additional study beyond the ATA Report,” says the American Telemedicine Association’s CEO. More states than ever are expanding telehealth coverage and reimbursement, according to a new report from the American Telemedicine Association (ATA). It shows that since 2017, 40 […]
American Telemedicine Association’s “State of the States Report” finds progress, but still sees strategies for states to be incentivized to adopt pro-telehealth policies. By Nathan EddyJuly 19, 201911:03 AM Expansion of telehealth coverage and reimbursement at the state level has grown since 2017, according to the latest American Telemedicine Association The report indicates that while […]
The American Telemedicine Association has updated its survey of state telehealth coverage and reimbursement policies and laws, which was last issued in 2017 By Eric Wicklund July 19, 2019 – Four out of every five US states have moved to improve telehealth coverage or reimbursement over the past two years, according to the latest survey of […]
As part of its efforts to provide patient-centered care and reduce costs for Medicare beneficiaries, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) have developed an Innovation Center model for ambulance care teams: Emergency Triage, Treat, and Transport (ET3). As part of this model, the agency has proposed two potential telehealth offerings: 1) An individual who […]
A bill introduced in April seeks to expand telehealth services offered by the nation’s 4,300 rural health clinics by enabling them to be qualified through Medicare as distant site providers. By Eric Wicklund May 15, 2019 – Congress is considering a bill that would enable rural health clinics to support – and be reimbursed for – […]
Monday, May 13, 2019 Citing the use of telehealth as a care delivery option for Medicare Advantage (MA or Part C) enrollees with the potential to “improve access to and timeliness of needed care, increase convenience for patients, increase communication between providers and patients, enhance care coordination, improve quality and reduce costs related to in-person […]
By Casey Ross @caseymross Federal health officials on Monday unveiled a new primary care experiment that seeks to pay doctors for providing stepped-up services that keep patients healthy and out of the hospital, an effort they say will transform basic medical services for tens of millions of American patients. The initiative, called CMS Primary Cares, […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) has published a final rule that will expand access to telehealth services for Medicare Advantage (“MA”) plan enrollees.[1]CMS Administrator Seema Verma characterized the agency’s latest policymaking efforts as “a historic step in bringing innovative technology to Medicare beneficiaries” and a way for the agency to provide “greater flexibility to Medicare Advantage […]
Contract Year 2020 Medicare Advantage and Part D Flexibility Final Rule (CMS-4185-F) On April 5, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule that updates the Medicare Advantage (MA or Part C) and Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit (Part D) programs by promoting innovative plan designs, improved quality, and choices for […]
The federal government released a breakdown of strategies that accountable care organizations (ACOs) have used to successfully partner with skilled nursing facilities — a move that could indicate policymakers’ continued support of the care models. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released a care coordination toolkit for ACOs that drew from focus […]
The expansion of telehealth is changing the landscape of health care. This is the second in a four-part series exploring what providers should know about this growing area. Before 2015, Medicare did not pay separately for telehealth, and telehealth and telemedicine services were bundled into “evaluation and management” codes. However, in 2015, the Center for […]
The rule updates give Medicare Advantage plans the flexibility to offer telehealth as a covered benefit, boosting patient care access. By Sara Heath April 09, 2019 – CMS has finalized updates that would introduce telehealth as a covered benefit in Medicare Advantage plans, which will ideally improve patient care access. This move comes as a part […]
On Friday, April 5, 2019, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) announced that it had finalized policies allowing Medicare Advantage plans (“MA Plans”) to include additional telehealth benefits in their basic benefit packages starting in 2020. The final rule implementing the changes (the “Final Rule”) will be published in the Federal Register on April 16, […]
Providers will be able to offer more telemedicine services to seniors in private Medicare plans, thanks to changes announced Friday. But nursing home advocates are pushing for more, hoping the technology can help ease the industry’s ongoing staffing challenges. Under the final rule starting in plan year 2020, nursing facility patients on Part C plans […]
By Meredith Parnell on April 9, 2019h Last week the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced significant policy changes for Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D programs. On April 1, 2019, CMS released the calendar year 2020 Rate Announcement and Call Letter, and on April 5, 2019, CMS release the unpublished version of […]