Telehealth

Telehealth Gains in Jeopardy?

The ability of doctors to use telehealth to prescribe medicines like buprenorphine for patients with opioid use disorder may be in jeopardy. While COVID-19 inspired an expanded use for caring for patients using telehealth, the regulatory flexibility that made remote prescribing possible expires at the end of 2024 and the federal Drug Enforcement Agency appears reluctant to call for its extension without modification. In particular, an unreleased DEA proposal reportedly would limit individual physicians to issuing no more than half of their prescriptions virtually. Some people think this would detract from the overall effectiveness of telehealth in treating opioid use [...]

joe2024-09-03T17:44:07-04:00September 4, 2024|Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for August 22

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for August 16-22. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The Courts The federal government must include uninsured patients whom hospitals serve under state Medicaid waivers when calculating hospitals’ Medicare DSH payments, a federal court has ruled. In the case of Baylor All Saints Medical Center, et al. v. Xavier Becerra, federal policymakers had invoked a 2023 regulation that excluded counting care provided to patients served by DSH-eligible hospitals providing care through state Medicaid waivers – generally, through uncompensated care pools. A group [...]

joe2024-08-22T15:11:48-04:00August 22, 2024|Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare disproportionate share, Medicare DSH, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for August 8

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for August 3-8. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. No Surprises Act A federal appeals court has upheld a February lower court ruling that found that the current No Surprises Act’s arbitration process for addressing payment disagreements between payers and providers favored payers by giving too much weight to “qualifying payment amounts,” which are the median of what insurers contract to pay providers in a given geographic area. Learn more from the appeals court’s decision in the case. Department of Health and [...]

joe2024-08-08T15:01:05-04:00August 8, 2024|340b, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, social determinants of health, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for July 18

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for July 13-18. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS has issued a notice alerting certain clinicians who are qualifying alternative payment model (APM) participants and who have earned an APM incentive payment that the agency does not have the current contact information it needs to disburse their payments. The notice provides information to qualified participants on how to update their Medicare billing information so that CMS can disburse these payments. Learn more from this CMS [...]

joe2024-07-18T20:57:21-04:00July 18, 2024|Alternative payment models, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, COVID-19, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicaid managed care, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, post-acute care, Telehealth|

MedPAC Posts Annual Data Book

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission has published its annual data book Health Care Spending and the Medicare Program. The book provides information on national health care and Medicare spending, Medicare beneficiary demographics, and data on dual-eligible beneficiaries, quality of care in the Medicare program, and Medicare beneficiary and other payer liabilities. MedPAC presents its data in 11 sections: national health care and Medicare spending Medicare beneficiary demographics Medicare beneficiary and other payer financial liability dual-eligible beneficiaries alternative payer models acute inpatient services – general acute-care hospitals and inpatient psychiatric hospitals ambulatory care – physicians and other health professionals, hospital outpatient [...]

joe2024-07-17T12:02:47-04:00July 17, 2024|Alternative payment models, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, health equity, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, post-acute care, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for July 12

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for July 6-12. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The Courts A federal court has blocked implementation of the FTC’s rule banning non-compete clauses in most employment contracts, a regulatory development with potentially significant implications for the health care industry. The temporary ban affects only the five plaintiffs in the case and it is not yet clear whether the ruling will have broader implications in the wake of the recent reversal of the Chevron decision that could potentially curtail the rulemaking authority [...]

joe2024-07-12T18:46:49-04:00July 12, 2024|Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, health equity, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for June 13

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for June 7-13. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government document. Supreme Court The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge to how the Department of Health and Human Services calculates hospitals’ Medicare disproportionate share (Medicare DSH) payments. The case was added to the court’s 2024-2025 schedule. Congress Individual members and key committees in Congress continue to introduce and mark up health care-related legislation with an eye toward including these initiatives in an end-of-year package. This work is expected to continue through the [...]

joe2024-06-13T20:15:06-04:00June 13, 2024|Alternative payment models, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, health equity, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare disproportionate share, Medicare DSH, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for May 23

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for May 18-23. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress Leaders of the Senate Finance Committee have released a white paper outlining potential reforms of how Medicare pays physicians and how Medicare might better meet the needs of those with chronic illnesses. The white paper notes areas of interest the committee sees as opportunities for reform, including: Creating sustainable payment updates to ensure clinicians can own and operate their practices. Creating incentives for alternative payment models that reward providing better care at [...]

joe2024-05-23T18:28:33-04:00May 23, 2024|340b, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Congress, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid managed care, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, Telehealth|

MedPAC to Talk Telemedicine, Doc Payments, 340B, More

Members of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission will meet publicly on Thursday, April 11 and Friday, April 12. Medicare reimbursement subjects on the two-day session’s agenda include: telehealth inpatient rehabilitation hospital payments the physician fee schedule Medicare Advantage Part D generic drug pricing Part B rate and 340B ceilings Go here for a more detailed look at the MedPAC agenda and for information about how to participate in the meeting.

joe2024-04-09T17:14:42-04:00April 9, 2024|340b, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for March 14

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for March 8-14. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. The White House The Biden administration this week released its proposed FY 2025 federal budget. Health care highlights include: Making permanent the expanded health care premium tax credits introduced to make health insurance marketplace plans more affordable for middle-class Americans. Extension of coverage similar to Medicaid to residents of the 10 states that have not taken advantage of the Affordable Care Act opportunity to expand their Medicaid programs. Permission for states to extend [...]

joe2024-03-14T20:46:56-04:00March 14, 2024|Affordable Care Act, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Congress, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, Telehealth|