Telehealth

Federal Health Policy Update for January 25

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for January 12 - 25. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Department of Health and Human Services – Funding Models HHS has announced a new model to test approaches for addressing the behavioral and physical health and health-related social needs of people with Medicaid and Medicare. The goal of the Innovation in Behavioral Health Model (IBH) is to improve the overall quality of care and outcomes for adults with mental health conditions and/or substance use disorders by connecting them with the physical, behavioral, [...]

joe2024-01-25T22:30:26-05:00January 25, 2024|Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, health equity, hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, social determinants of health, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for January 11

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for January 5 - 11. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CMS will establish 200 new Medicare-funded residency slots in FY 2025. Learn more about the additional slots here and find information about how to apply for those slots here. The deadline for applications is March 31. CMS released guidance for Medicare Part D plans that describes coverage and processing claims for COVID-19 therapeutics. Medicare Part D plans must cover commercially available oral antivirals for COVID-19 [...]

joe2024-01-11T21:27:47-05:00January 11, 2024|hospitals, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for December 14

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for December 8-14. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. MedPAC Rate Recommendations At their latest public meeting, members of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission voted preliminary approval of the following rate updates for 2025 Medicare payments: Inpatient and outpatient services –update provided for in current law plus 1.5% and adoption of a safety-net index policy to pay safety-net hospitals another $4 billion. Physicians and other health professionals –update of 50% of the Medicare economic index and a new add-on payment for services [...]

joe2023-12-14T22:30:50-05:00December 14, 2023|340b, ACO, Alternative payment models, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, COVID-19, health equity, Medicaid, Medicaid managed care, Medicaid regulations, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare regulations, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, post-acute care, Telehealth|

Senate Looks at Telehealth in Medicare

The Senate Finance Committee held a hearing this week on “Ensuring Medicare Beneficiary Access: A Path to Telehealth Permanency.” Go here for a video of the hearing and here for links to the testimony submitted to the committee.

iqtsupport2023-11-16T06:00:47-05:00November 16, 2023|Medicare, Telehealth|

Bill Would Halt Medicaid DSH Cuts, Bring Other Changes

A wide-ranging bill passed by the Senate Finance Committee would eliminate $16 billion in Medicaid disproportionate share (Medicaid DSH) payments over the next two years. The Better Mental Health Care, Lower-Cost Drugs, and Extenders Act, passed by the committee with unanimous, bipartisan support, also seeks to improve access to mental health care for Medicare patients living in rural and underserved areas; improve access to behavioral health services via telehealth for Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries; reduce some of the recently adopted cuts in Medicare payments to physicians that will take effect in 2024; toughen federal regulations governing pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs); [...]

iqtsupport2023-11-15T13:00:58-05:00November 15, 2023|Congress, Medicaid, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|

Telehealth Serving Some Medicare Patients Well

Medicare patients with serious mental health problems were well-served through telehealth during the COVID-19 crisis. According to a new study published by the JAMA Network, such patients experienced … 13.0% more mental health visits than those receiving care at practices that largely used in-person visits. There were no changes in medication adherence, hospital and emergency department use, or mortality based on the extent of telemental health use. The study’s findings support continued use of telehealth for Medicare patients with mental health problems even now that the greatest threat of the pandemic has passed. Learn more about how the study was [...]

iqtsupport2023-11-01T13:00:57-04:00November 1, 2023|Medicare, Telehealth|

Telehealth May Help Medicaid Patients With Opioid-Related Addictions

When access to buprenorphine treatment became available to Medicaid beneficiaries in response to the COVID-19 crisis, patients who obtained such treatment via telehealth were more likely to remain under treatment for their disorder than those who received similar care through physician offices. This new finding, reported in the JAMA Network, suggests that prescribing buprenorphine treatment through telehealth may be beneficial to patients and should remain an option for patients and providers after the COVID-19-inspired policy, extended after the formal end of the public health emergency, expires at the end of 2024, as currently scheduled. While the study found that patients [...]

iqtsupport2023-10-25T06:00:28-04:00October 25, 2023|Medicaid, Telehealth|

MedPAC Outlines Plans for the Coming Year

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission has shared its agenda for its 2023-2024 public meeting cycle. According to MedPAC, it will engage in its regular work of offering recommendations to Congress on the adequacy of Medicare payments to providers and, as needed, suggest changes in those payments. In addition, it will fulfill two statutory requirements in the coming year: to evaluate Medicare Advantage special needs plans for individuals eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid and to review the new “Rural Emergency Hospital” designation. In addition, MedPAC writes that We are working on several other issues in the Medicare program as well, [...]

iqtsupport2023-10-24T16:43:49-04:00October 24, 2023|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Congress, Medicare, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for October 19

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for October 13-19. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. Congress At this moment there is still no Speaker of the House of Representatives. After 20 and then 22 House Republicans voted against Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, Mr. Jordan has joined others, including senior Democrats, in supporting a plan to expand the powers of the temporary speaker, Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC). Mr. Jordan remains the speaker designee, an option that will enable him to continue to seek [...]

iqtsupport2023-10-19T15:01:13-04:00October 19, 2023|Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, CMMI, COVID-19, health equity, hospitals, Medicaid, Medicaid disproportionate share, Medicaid DSH, Medicaid DSH allotments, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare reimbursement policy, Telehealth|

Federal Health Policy Update for October 12

The following is the latest health policy news from the federal government for October 6-12. Some of the language used below is taken directly from government documents. No Surprises Act CMS has reopened the federal independent dispute resolution (IDR) portal for the initiation ofnew single disputes, including single disputes involving bundled payment arrangements, but parties still cannot initiate new disputes involving air ambulance services and batched disputes for air ambulance and non-air ambulance items and services. IDR portal functionalities related to previously initiated batched disputes also are unavailable. Learn more about this action from this CMS announcement, which includes an [...]

iqtsupport2023-10-12T14:42:15-04:00October 12, 2023|COVID-19, health equity, MACPAC, Medicaid, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, Medicare, Medicare post-acute care, Medicare reimbursement policy, MedPAC, social determinants of health, Telehealth|