Telehealth

Federal Health Policy Update for Wednesday, May 19

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government as of 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday, May 19. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. NASH Advocacy NASH has written to all members of Congress urging them to contact Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra about directing more of its remaining CARES Act Provider Relief Fund money to private safety-net hospitals to help them serve their diverse, predominantly low-income communities during the COVID-19 emergency. Go here to see NASH’s message to Congress. The White House COVID-19 The White House has posted a [...]

iqtsupport2021-05-19T18:01:19-04:00May 19, 2021|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Congress, Coronavirus, hospitals, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, Telehealth|

Study of Cardiac Telehealth Yields Interesting Results

Increased use of telehealth among cardiac patients as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic has produced some interesting results. According to a study published by JAMA Open Network, …[cardiology] patients using COVID-era remote visits were more likely to be Asian, Black, or Hispanic individuals, have private insurance, and have cardiovascular comorbidities. Compared with pre-COVID in-person visits, clinicians during COVID-era video and telephone visits had a significantly lower odds of ordering any medication as well as most tests. The use of telehealth has increased significantly since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and the introduction of temporary Medicare regulations that encourage [...]

iqtsupport2021-04-12T06:00:02-04:00April 12, 2021|Medicare, Telehealth|

MedPAC: Go Slow on Expanding Medicare Telehealth

MedPAC wants Medicare to test the impact of telehealth on health care under non-COVID-19 conditions before moving forward with expanding the tool’s use in the Medicare population. In a news release accompanying its recently released annual report to Congress on Medicare payment policy, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission writes that In the report, we present a policy option for expanded coverage for Medicare telehealth policy after the PHE is over. Under the policy option, policymakers should temporarily continue some of the telehealth expansions for a limited duration of time (e.g., one to two years after the PHE) to gather more [...]

iqtsupport2021-03-19T13:00:08-04:00March 19, 2021|Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|

Coronavirus Update: March 31, 2020

Coronavirus Update: March 31, 2020 Yesterday the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a major update of Medicare and Medicaid regulations that included blanket waivers of a large number of Medicare and Medicaid regulations and requirements. The following is a summary of the major aspects of this new regulation. New Policies and Waivers From Medicare and Medicaid Regulations and Requirements CMS has introduced dozens of changes that involve waivers from current regulations and requirements. A comprehensive, 26-page CMS document describing these changes can be found here and below are the highlights organized into four broad categories: increasing [...]

iqtsupport2020-03-31T20:24:34-04:00March 31, 2020|Coronavirus, COVID-19, Medicaid, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Telehealth|

Home Health Agencies Expanding Scope of Endeavor

In the coming years, home health agencies will be providing a broader scope of services. With many such agencies already offering medication management technology, remote patient monitoring, image-sharing technology, and mobile apps for e-visits, many are planning to do more. More than a quarter of home health providers plan to move into or expand their telehealth offerings in the coding years and many already provide chronic care services, with more planning to do so in the coming years. Home health providers also are moving into palliative care, veteran-specific services, and mental health services. Behind some of this expansion of scope [...]

iqtsupport2019-12-09T06:00:21-05:00December 9, 2019|Medicare, Telehealth|

CMS to Congress: You’re the Impediment to Greater Use of Telehealth

The primary obstacle to Medicare making greater use of telehealth is current laws, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has told Congress in a new report. The report, mandated by the 21st Century Cures Act, outlines the extent of telehealth utilization today, describes its benefits, and suggests potential new and expanded uses for telehelath, but it also notes that Current restrictions on eligible telehealth originating sites appear to be the greatest barrier to preventing the expansion of Medicare telehealth services. The two most significant Medicare restrictions are: 1) requiring the originating site to be located in certain types of [...]

iqtsupport2018-11-20T06:00:23-05:00November 20, 2018|Medicare, Telehealth|