Industry Weighs in on Medicare Telehealth Expansion for COVID-19

The White House’s decision to expand telehealth services under Medicare to curb the spread of coronavirus has met with widespread praise — and a call for further action.

The American Medical Association (AMA) applauded the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for its decision to lift restrictions on telehealth services in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

“Administrator Verma took strong steps today to enhance the nation’s digital health care capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic by lifting Medicare restrictions on the use of certain telemedicine services,” AMA President Patrice Harris, MD, MA, stated on Tuesday.

Harris added that the change to Medicare policy will support the national effort to maintain social distancing and provide effective screening and treatment. “The AMA had urged the administration to be flexible and the steps CMS has taken demonstrate the agency was listening,” she noted.

Last week, the AMA announced the addition of a new Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code set — 87635 — to report novel coronavirus tests with the goal of increasing the American healthcare system’s ability to track, allocate, and maximize resources as testing increases.

While supporting the expansion of telehealth services under Medicare, the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) is calling on states to address restrictions on out-of-state clinicians to treat coronavirus.

“In light of today's guidance from CMS regarding Medicare coverage and payment of telehealth and virtual services, we encourage states to modify requirements on the type of telehealth modalities and technologies that providers can use, which will help ensure timely triaging and treatment of patients, much like what Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina and others have already done,” said ATA CEO Ann Mond Johnson.

“Providers should be able to use every tool at their disposal to help keep health care workers safe and ensure that resources are reserved for those individuals in need of in-person care,” she continued. “We encourage states that have not already waived these restrictions to do so as soon as possible to ensure health care providers can quickly expand access to virtual services.”

Proponents of telehealth have criticized state-level policies for medical licensing, identifying the latter as a “significant barrier to the widespread adoption of telemedicine” that creates “a patchwork of inconsistent state licensure laws” and deters provide participation.

In December, AMA officially voiced its support for the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, an agreement between 29 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam to expedite licensure.

“Under this agreement licensed physicians can qualify to practice medicine across state lines within the Compact if they meet the agreed upon eligibility requirements. Approximately 80% of physicians meet the criteria for licensure through the IMLC,” the official site for the compact states.

The association’s decision followed a report by the AMA’s Council on Medical Service.                 

“Historically, the process of obtaining licenses to practice medicine in multiple states has been burdensome and time-consuming for physicians, and some states formed interstate agreements to practice medicine across state lines,” the report’s authors wrote.

With telehealth coming to the fore as a means to improve care access and reduce transmission of COVID-19, federal and state leaders must continue to address legal restrictions that prevent licensed medical professionals from making greater use of telemedicine technology to provide needed services.