Telehealth policy and regulation
Telehealth policies and regulations aim to ensure safe, effective and accessible virtual care delivery. They establish rules for patient privacy, provider licensing, reimbursement and technology standards and provide guardrails to protect against fraud, waste and abuse. These policies and regulations are critical for enhancing healthcare access and clinical outcomes.
Top Stories
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News
18 Nov 2024
Telehealth prescribing flexibility extended through 2025
The DEA and HHS have extended telehealth prescribing flexibility for controlled substances, like Adderall, through 2025 amid calls for the flexibility to be made permanent. Continue Reading
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06 Nov 2024
Pushing ADHD telehealth prescriptions costs Cerebral millions
Telemental healthcare provider Cerebral agreed to pay more than $3.6 million for encouraging unauthorized telehealth prescriptions of controlled substances, like Adderall. Continue Reading
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23 Jul 2021
New Illinois Law Gives Patients the Right to Choose - or Reject -Telehealth
Governor JB Pritzker has signed landmark telehealth legislation that, among other things, establishes payment parity and allows patients to choose telehealth without having to give a reason for doing so. Continue Reading
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Feature
22 Jul 2021
4 Strategies for Solving the Telehealth Licensure Debate
Telehealth licensure has long been a problem for providers looking to expand their connected health reach. The four most popular solutions are compacts, portability, one federal license for everyone and keeping the status quo. Continue Reading
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21 Jul 2021
New Letter Urges Congress to Establish a Post-Pandemic Telehealth Policy
The eHealth Initiative and several high-profile organizations are once again asking Congressional leadership to enact long-term telehealth policy to preserve some access and coverage rules that have been enacted during the pandemic. Continue Reading
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20 Jul 2021
Lawmakers Seek to Mandate Payer Coverage for Telehealth Services
Two Congressmen have re-introduced proposed legislation that would prompt payers to cover any telehealth service that's already being offered in-person. Continue Reading
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19 Jul 2021
Congress Gets Another Shot at Codifying Telehealth Coverage for FQHCs, RHCs
The HEALTH Act has been re-introduced to Congress, with a goal of making permanent Medicare coverage for telehealth services delivered by federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics. Continue Reading
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Answer
19 Jul 2021
CMS Expands Remote Patient Monitoring Coverage in Proposed 2022 PFS
CMS has added coverage for 'remote therapeutic monitoring' services in its proposed 2022 Physician Fee Schedule, but for health systems with remote patient monitoring programs, there are still questions about reimbursement. Continue Reading
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15 Jul 2021
CMS Bypasses Telehealth Coverage in Medicare Diabetes Prevention Programs
Despite pressure from lawmakers and telehealth advocates, CMS won't approve Medicare coverage for virtual care in Diabetes Prevention Programs. Continue Reading
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14 Jul 2021
CMS Expands Telehealth Coverage in Proposed 2022 Physician Fee Schedule
The proposal includes expanding Medicare coverage for telehealth services that address mental health and substance abuse issues and extending most COVID-19 freedoms until the end of 2023, as well as some coverage for FQHCs and RHCs. Continue Reading
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14 Jul 2021
Texas Governor OKs Telehealth, RPM Services, Broadband Expansion
Governor Greg Abbott has signed new laws expanding Medicaid coverage for telehealth and remote patient monitoring services and creating a state department and strategy for expanding broadband connectivity. Continue Reading
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13 Jul 2021
Senators Seek Continued Support for Pediatric Telehealth, DLT Programs
Senator Jacky Rosen is leading efforts to boost the budgets for two pediatric telehealth programs and to continue support for the USDA's Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program, which has been funding projects since 1994. Continue Reading
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06 Jul 2021
NJ Governor OKs Telehealth Prescriptions for Medical Marijuana
Governor Phil Murphy has signed into law a telehealth bill he originally vetoed, after lawmakers amended the legislation to eliminate a waiting period and in-person exam requirements. Continue Reading
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06 Jul 2021
Study IDs Need for Telemental Health Resources for Patients and Providers
A study out of Canada finds that policy experts and lawmakers need to provide more support for telehealth for mental healthcare services - and that both patients and their primary care providers will benefit. Continue Reading
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29 Jun 2021
As State Emergencies End, Providers Look for New Telehealth Limits
Healthcare providers in some states are scrambling to determine what their telehealth platforms can and can't do in the wake of expiring state emergency declarations. Continue Reading
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28 Jun 2021
Uncertain Telehealth Laws Keep Substance Abuse Care Providers on Their Toes
Providers specializing in substance abuse care are using telehealth for services like MAT therapy, but the shifting landscape of post-COVID-19 telehealth rules may force them to scale back those plans. Continue Reading
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28 Jun 2021
Cures 2.0 Includes Provisions to Expand Telehealth Coverage, Services
While focusing on research to tackle cancer and other diseases, the massive Cures 2.0 bill unveiled last week includes provisions aimed at extending telehealth coverage and access beyond the pandemic. Continue Reading
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25 Jun 2021
Senators Seek Extra Federal Funding for Telehealth Services in Frontier States
A group of Senators has submitted a bill that would boost federal funding for telehealth services in so-called frontier states and states that have limited broadband access. Continue Reading
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24 Jun 2021
Senators Eye Medicare Coverage for Telehealth in Diabetes Prevention Programs
A group of Senators has re-introduced a bill that would establish Medicare coverage for telehealth services in CMS-sanctioned Diabetes Prevention Programs. Continue Reading
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22 Jun 2021
Cheney, Dingell Launch Bipartisan Effort to Codify COVID-19 Telehealth Waivers
US Reps Liz Cheney and Debbie Dingell are joining the telehealth policy bandwagon with a bill that - like so many others - aims to extend telehealth coverage and access beyond the pandemic. Continue Reading
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21 Jun 2021
Can a Package of Telehealth Bills Gain the Attention of Congress?
Senator John Kennedy is hoping that four telehealth bills packaged together can push Congress to take action on long-term connected health policy. Continue Reading
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16 Jun 2021
New Bill Targets In-Person Requirement for Telemental Health Treatment
A new bill before the Senate aims to eliminate a Medicare requirement that a person in need of telemental health treatment see a provider in person before using telehealth. Continue Reading
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15 Jun 2021
AMA Adds Digital Literacy to its Telehealth Adoption Gameplan
The American Medical Association is launching an effort to use telehealth expansion as a means of improving digital literacy in underserved populations. Continue Reading
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Answer
14 Jun 2021
Is the Time Right for Skilled Nursing Facilities to Embrace Telehealth?
The pandemic has given skilled nursing facilities an opportunity to embrace telehealth. Are they ready now to prove sustainability and scalability? Continue Reading
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11 Jun 2021
New Senate Bill Seeks To Continue COVID-19 Telehealth Coverage
A bill submitted this week in the US Senate seeks to make permanent several emergency telehealth measures enacted during the pandemic. Continue Reading
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09 Jun 2021
With ER Visits Rising, Payers Pitch mHealth and Telehealth as an Alternative
With the pandemic in the rear-view mirror, people are going back to the ER, and payers are trying to steer them instead toward mHealth apps, telehealth platforms and retail clinics. Continue Reading
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03 Jun 2021
Illinois Moves to Expand Telehealth Coverage, With Limited Payment Parity
Illinois lawmakers have OK'd legislation to permanently expand COVID-19 telehealth coverage, with payment parity for mental health services and a task force to study long-term reimbursement. Continue Reading
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01 Jun 2021
Texas Lawmakers OK Telehealth Expansion for Medicaid, Public Health Plans
Unanimously approved by both chambers and headed to the governor's desk, the bill permanently extends coverage for a wide range of telehealth platforms, including audio-only services. Continue Reading
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28 May 2021
Senators Want to Codify VA's Telehealth Success, Add More Services
A new bill before the Senate looks to expand the VA's telehealth and mHealth platform to further address gaps in care and boost access for rural veterans. Continue Reading
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27 May 2021
California Provider Sees Telehealth as an Integral Part of PACE Programs
WelbeHealth President Matt Patterson says COVID-19 has taught the industry a good lesson on how to use telehealth, and it should be a permanent part of the senior care service. Continue Reading
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27 May 2021
DOJ Files Charges Linked to Abuse of COVID-19 Telehealth Freedoms
The DOJ charges focus on companies and individuals committing fraud, which telehealth advocates say shouldn't be linked to the telehealth industry. Continue Reading
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25 May 2021
New Bill Aims to Reduce the Financial Burden of a Telehealth Visit
The Telehealth Expansion Act of 2021 would exempt telehealth visits from meeting deductible requirements in high-deductible health plans, allowing patients more freedom to use virtual care. Continue Reading
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20 May 2021
California Doctors' Group Pushes Full Coverage for Audio-Only Telehealth
The California Medical Association is taking issue with Governor Gavin Newsom's proposal to reimburse audio-only telehealth services for Medi-Cal members at 65 percent of comparable in-person care. Continue Reading
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20 May 2021
GAO Tells Congress to Wait on Expanding Telehealth Coverage Past the Pandemic
A new report and testimony from the Government Accountability Office says the full effect of CMS waivers on telehealth coverage during the pandemic isn't yet known, and more study is needed. Continue Reading
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19 May 2021
Connecticut's New Telehealth Law Sees Long-Term Policy as a Work in Progress
Governor Ned Lamont has extended COVID-19 telehealth coverage for another two years, giving lawmakers and healthcare providers more time to hash out what should and shouldn't go into a long-term telehealth policy. Continue Reading
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14 May 2021
American Academy of Neurology Lobbies for Telehealth Coverage
The AAN has released a position statement supporting permanent expansion of telehealth coverage beyond the coronavirus pandemic and will be meeting with lawmakers next week in Washington DC to press that point. Continue Reading
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06 May 2021
Arizona's New Telehealth Law Supports Audio-Only Platforms, License Portability
Governor Doug Ducey's signature this week on HB 2454 pushes Arizona to the front of the line in post-COVID-19 telehealth policy, providing guidance on a number of connected health issues. Continue Reading
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05 May 2021
Warner Again Presses DEA to Let Providers Prescribe via Telehealth
Virginia Senator Mark Warner sent a letter this week to Attorney General Merrick Garland and the DEA asking them to fulfill a long-delayed pledge to allow providers to use telehealth to prescribe controlled substances. Continue Reading
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04 May 2021
Veterinarians, SPCA Sue California For Freedom to Use Telehealth
Several veterinarians and the San Francisco chapter of the SPCA have filed a federal lawsuit against the state, saying officials are preventing them from using telehealth to its full extent. Continue Reading
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30 Apr 2021
The CONNECT Act is Back, Giving Telehealth Policy a 4th Shot at Passage
The CONNECT for Health Act is back before Congress for a 4th time, and backers say the massive telehealth bill could cross the finish line this time on broad bipartisan support and pressure to set long-term connected health policy. Continue Reading
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29 Apr 2021
Montana Governor Expands Telehealth Coverage, But Not For Abortions
Montana Governor Greg Gianforte has signed legislation that permanently extends telehealth access and coverage beyond the pandemic; he also signed a bill banning telemedicine abortions. Continue Reading
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27 Apr 2021
Senators Again Seek Telehealth Waivers for Home Healthcare Providers
A group of Senators has re-introduced a bill that would allow home healthcare providers to use telehealth in place of some in-person visits during a public health emergency. Continue Reading
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26 Apr 2021
Lawmakers Again Seek Medicare Coverage of Telehealth in Diabetes Prevention Services
A bill introduced last week seeks to include telehealth in the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program, giving providers access to virtual care tools to promote health and wellness to at-risk patients. Continue Reading
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21 Apr 2021
Can Telehealth Help Healthcare Providers Tackle Rural Health Disparities?
Federal officials are awarding almost $13 million to dozens of organizations across 35 states to create rural health partnerships that use telehealth and other strategies to take on rural health disparities. Continue Reading
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20 Apr 2021
NJ Governor Conditionally Vetoes Medical Marijuana Telehealth Bill
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has rejected legislation aimed at boosting telehealth use for medical marijuana prescriptions, saying the bill adds barriers instead of erasing them. Continue Reading
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19 Apr 2021
Better Medicare Alliance Touts Support for Audio-Only Telehealth
The Better Medicare Alliance has submitted a letter signed by more than 30 groups supporting coverage for audio-only telehealth in Medicare Advantage and PACE programs during the pandemic. Continue Reading
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13 Apr 2021
Biden Administration to Lift Restrictions on Telemedicine Abortions
The administration has announced that it will allow healthcare providers to prescribe abortion-inducing drugs via telehealth without an in-person exam for the remainder of the public health emergency. Continue Reading
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06 Apr 2021
North Dakota Lawmakers Shoot Down Telehealth Payment Parity Study
North Dakota's House of Representatives has rejected a bill calling for a two-year study on payment parity for telehealth services, saying it would unfairly affect the market. Continue Reading
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05 Apr 2021
Michigan Lawmakers Debate the Use of Telehealth for Eye Exams
A bill that would allow optometrists to use telehealth to conduct eye exams for contact lens prescriptions is making its way through Michigan's Legislature - and attracting a lot of interest for and against. Continue Reading
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02 Apr 2021
CMS Expands Telehealth Coverage for Audiologists, Speech-Language Pathologists
CMS has added a number of CPT codes to the list of audiology and speech-language pathology services provided by telehealth that will be covered by Medicare during the coronavirus pandemic. Continue Reading
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31 Mar 2021
CMS Facing Pressure to Add Telehealth to Diabetes Prevention Programs
The Alliance for Connected Care is leading a new lobbying effort to have telehealth included in the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program, both during and after the COVID-19 public health emergency. Continue Reading
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29 Mar 2021
Support Builds to Add Telehealth Options for Critical Access Hospitals
Telehealth advocates are rallying behind a bill that would allow rural and remote hospitals to use telehealth to treat patients in surrounding communities who are dealing with mental health issues. Continue Reading
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29 Mar 2021
New Bills Target Telehealth Coverage for Substance Abuse, Mental Health Services
Lawmakers last week submitted bills on Capitol Hill that would expand telehealth access through the Comprehensive Addiction & Recovery Act (CARA) and mandate payment parity for telehealth services covered by private payers. Continue Reading
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26 Mar 2021
Congress to Get Another Shot at Telehealth Coverage for Specialists
Lawmakers have resubmitted the Expanded Telehealth Access Act, which would permanently extend Medicare coverage to telehealth services provided by physical and occupational therapists, audiologists and speech and language pathologists. Continue Reading
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25 Mar 2021
WV Lawmakers Move to OK Telehealth Expansion, Audio-Only Phone Calls
The Legislature is poised to approve a bill that would allow healthcare providers with licenses from other states to treat West Virginia residents via telehealth. It would also expand coverage to include phone calls. Continue Reading
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24 Mar 2021
NY Bill Would Provide Telehealth Coverage for Peer Advocates
A bill making its way through New York's Legislature would permanently extend coverage for telehealth services delivered by certified peer recovery advocates and credentialed family peer advocates. Continue Reading
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22 Mar 2021
Arkansas Lawmakers Clash Over Audio-Only Telehealth Coverage
A bill that would allow Arkansas healthcare providers to treat new patients via telephone barely squeaked through the Senate after opponents argued the telehealth platform isn't good enough to establish the medical record. Continue Reading
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19 Mar 2021
Iowa Lawmakers Debate Payment Parity for Telemental Health Services
A bill before the Iowa State Senate would require payers to reimburse providers for mental health services delivered via telehealth at the same rate as for in-person care. Continue Reading
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16 Mar 2021
MedPAC Recommends Limiting Post-COVID-19 Telehealth Coverage, More Study
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission is taking a cautious approach to long-term telehealth policy, telling lawmakers to extend COVID-19 telehealth freedoms for a few years before making any final decisions. Continue Reading
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15 Mar 2021
Congress Targets Telehealth Coverage for Mental Health, Substance Abuse Treatment
Several bills on Capitol Hill aim to expand telehealth coverage for mental health and substance abuse services delivered via telehealth, including efforts to reduce barriers to prescribing scheduled drugs. Continue Reading
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12 Mar 2021
Virginia Expands Coverage for School Telehealth, Remote Patient Monitoring
Two bills headed to Gov. Ralph Northam's desk will expand Medicaid coverage for remote patient monitoring programs and telehealth services for school students regardless of whether they're in school or at home. Continue Reading
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11 Mar 2021
South Dakota Governor Permanently Extends Telehealth Coverage
Following through on a pledge made in January, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has signed into law a bill that allows providers to use telehealth without first needing an in-person exam. Continue Reading
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10 Mar 2021
Vermont Lawmaker's Broadband Expansion Bill Would Boost Telehealth
US Rep. Peter Welch is proposing setting aside almost $80 billion to expand high-speed broadband services across the country, an effort that would also address a main barrier to telehealth expansion. Continue Reading
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09 Mar 2021
Utah Expands Telehealth Coverage for Mental Health Services
Utah's governor has signed into a law a bill that establishes Medicaid and commercial payer coverage for healthcare providers using telehealth to deliver mental healthcare services. Continue Reading
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08 Mar 2021
National Quality Forum Looks to Update Telehealth Quality Benchmarks
In a new Healthcare Strategies podcast, Sheri Winsper, senior vice president of quality measurement for the National Quality Forum, outlines the agency's plans for updating its 2017 telehealth guidelines and a new project with CMS. Continue Reading
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04 Mar 2021
California Amends '5150 Hold' Law to Allow Telehealth Evaluations
California lawmakers have amended long-standing guidelines on psychiatric evaluations for involuntary mental health commitments to enable those evaluations to be done by telehealth. Continue Reading
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04 Mar 2021
Maryland Lawmakers Debate Bill to Expand School-Based Telehealth
Only 18 of Maryland's 86 school-based health centers are currently allowed to offer telehealth. An emergency bill making its way through the Legislature would make it easier for those centers to launch telehealth services. Continue Reading
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03 Mar 2021
New Coalition to Push Telehealth, RPM as a Mainstay for Home Care
Moving Health Home aims to "change the way policymakers think about the home as a site of clinical service" by supporting programs and policies that highlight telehealth, remote patient monitoring and other care pathways. Continue Reading
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02 Mar 2021
Coalition Backs Illinois Telehealth Bill Supporting Payment Parity
The Coalition to Protect Telehealth, comprised of more than 30 health systems and groups in Illinois, is supporting proposed legislation aimed at boosting telehealth access and coverage beyond the COVID-19 emergency. Continue Reading
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02 Mar 2021
OIG Defends Recent Telehealth Audits, Recognizes Telefraud Challenges
Telehealth has become so popular during the coronavirus pandemic that it's drawing increased scrutiny from federal regulators. But those regulators are also noting the difference between telehealth fraud and telefraud. Continue Reading
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01 Mar 2021
Lawmakers Resubmit Telehealth Bills Targeting Kids' Health, COVID-19 Effects
Two more telehealth bills have returned to Capitol Hill after failing to make it through last year's session. One takes on kids' health and other calls for an HHS study of how telehealth has effected care delivery. Continue Reading
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23 Feb 2021
2 More Telehealth Bills Return to Congress For Another Try
Both the TREATS Act and the Telehealth Modernization Act are being re-submitted this week, as telehealth advocates look to set the agenda for post-COVID-19 connected health coverage. Continue Reading
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22 Feb 2021
Will Telehealth Payment Parity Be Permanent or a Passing Fancy?
A recent study by Foley & Lardner indicates telehealth reimbursement will be on top of the agenda during the coming year, but will states, private payers and the federal government find an acceptable path to true payment parity? Continue Reading
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18 Feb 2021
AHA Tells MedPAC to Take its Time on Telehealth Coverage Recommendations
The American Hospital Association supports the elimination of geographic site restrictions and coverage for audio-only services, but it says more time is needed to study and set long-term telehealth reimbursement policy. Continue Reading
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18 Feb 2021
Telehealth Plays a Key Role in Black Maternal Momnibus Act of 2021
Telehealth legislation is included in a package of bills introduced earlier this month in Congress that aims to address ethic and racial disparities in maternal health outcomes. Continue Reading
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17 Feb 2021
Connected Care Alliance Unveils Telehealth Licensing Portability Plan
The alliance is tackling telehealth licensure portability head-on with its proposed Medical Excellence Zone, a regional program that would allow states to recognize other states' medical licenses and promote telehealth adoption. Continue Reading
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16 Feb 2021
Georgia Lawmakers to Consider Telehealth Expansion in Schools
A new bill would prompt the state to create a model for telehealth services in schools to help students dealing with behavioral and mental health concerns. Continue Reading
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15 Feb 2021
Questions Arise Over Medicare Coverage for Mental Health Services by Telehealth
A sentence tucked into last year's pandemic relief bill sets requirements for in-person care before Medicare will cover mental healthcare services via telehealth. Continue Reading
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12 Feb 2021
New Coalition, Programs Focus on Establishing Telehealth Equity
Telehealth has long been seen as a toolkit for improving access to care for underserved populations. The pandemic is now prompting people to ask whether we're making the best use of those tools. Continue Reading
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09 Feb 2021
Florida Mulls Medicaid Coverage for Asynchronous Telehealth, RPM
A bill introduced last month in Florida would give the state's Medicaid program the option to provide coverage for asynchronous (store-and-forward) telehealth services and remote patient monitoring programs. Continue Reading
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08 Feb 2021
Congress Gets Another Shot at Easing Telehealth Licensure Restrictions
The TREAT Act, which has the support of dozens of health systems and connected health organizations, would allow providers to bypass licensing rules and use telehealth to treat patients in any state during the coronavirus pandemic. Continue Reading
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05 Feb 2021
Telehealth, Licensure Portability Featured in New Disaster Preparedness Plan
A proposed national strategy for preparing for the next pandemic or disaster includes a framework for expanding access to and coverage of telehealth and a national plan for license portability. Continue Reading
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04 Feb 2021
Lawmakers Reintroduce COVID-19 Telehealth Licensure Bill
US Rep. Ted Budd and Senator Ted Cruz have reintroduced a bill that would allow healthcare providers to use telehealth to treat anyone in any state for up to six months after the pandemic. Continue Reading
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04 Feb 2021
California Eyes Post-COVID-19 Telehealth Policy for Medicaid Patients
California's Department of Health Care Services has released a 14-page document outlining post-pandemic telehealth coverage for the Medi-Cal program, including payment parity and expanded coverage for FQHCs and RHCs. Continue Reading
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02 Feb 2021
Could the Private Payer Market Influence Post-COVID-19 Telehealth Coverage?
A report from the Center for Connected Health Policy says many of the nation's largest health plans made significant changes to telehealth coverage during the pandemic. How they shift from temporary to permanent coverage remains to be seen. Continue Reading
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01 Feb 2021
Maryland Lawmakers Take on Telehealth Expansion, Broadband Access
Maryland legislators are debating a bill that would permanently extend telehealth access and coverage rules put in place during the pandemic, and they're looking at measures to improve broadband access in underserved counties. Continue Reading
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29 Jan 2021
Washington is Awash in New and Reintroduced Telehealth Bills
In advance of the next session of Congress, lawmakers are scrambling to file new bills or resubmit old bills that aim to expand telehealth access and coverage through and beyond the coronavirus pandemic. Continue Reading
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28 Jan 2021
NH Lawmakers Seek to End Telehealth Parity, Audio-Only Phone Coverage
New Hampshire lawmakers are debating a new bill that would eliminate payment parity for telehealth and coverage of audio-only phone calls, both of which were included in legislation signed into law last year. Continue Reading
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27 Jan 2021
Connected Health Initiative Launches Value-Based Care Task Force
The Washington-based organization is taking aim at the shift from fee-for-service to value-based care and looking for ways to ensure that connected health concepts and tools are included in the conversation. Continue Reading
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26 Jan 2021
Lawmakers Reintroduce Post-COVID-19 Telehealth Bill, Hoping for a Better Outcome
The Protecting Access to Post-COVID-19 Telehealth Act is back, after failing to make it through Congress last year. Will lawmakers see enough value in telehealth to make it a priority this year? Continue Reading
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25 Jan 2021
OIG to Audit Telehealth Payments to Home Health Care Providers
The Office of the Inspector General has announced it will review Medicare payments made to home health care providers for telehealth services during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Continue Reading
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25 Jan 2021
2021 Could be a Busy Year for Telehealth Adoption and Sustainability
As the new year begins and the nation looks to tackle COVID-19 and move on, telehealth will be front and center in a lot of conversations from the halls of Congress to the patient's home. Continue Reading
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21 Jan 2021
South Dakota Governor Looks to Make Telehealth Coverage Permanent
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has announced plans to submit two bills that would make permanent her emergency telehealth rules enacted during the COVID-19 crisis. Continue Reading
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20 Jan 2021
CMS Clarifies 2021 PFS Reimbursements for Remote Patient Monitoring
In an update posted this week in the Federal Register, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has amended the 2021 Physician Fee Schedule to clarify reimbursement for remote patient monitoring programs. Continue Reading
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14 Jan 2021
Lawmakers Face Pressure to Address Licensure Barriers for Telehealth Adoption
The Alliance for Connected Care has sent an open letter to federal and state policymakers urging them to develop licensure guidelines that would allow providers to treat patients in other states via telehealth. Continue Reading
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14 Jan 2021
One Solution to Improving Telehealth Laws: Simple Subtraction
A Florida lawmaker is looking to improve his state's telehealth laws by eliminating some of the complexity and opening the door to audio-only phone calls and virtual prescribing. Continue Reading
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13 Jan 2021
NY Telehealth Bill Expands Coverage, Supports License Reciprocity, eConsults
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a wide-ranging telehealth bill this week that would, among other things, pave the way for multi-state telehealth programs, support specialist consults and improve telehealth training. Continue Reading
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07 Jan 2021
Provider Relief Funding Helps Underserved Areas Keep Doors Open
CARES Act Funding supported operational costs for providers as doors shut but telehealth erupted, according to Data Insight from Xtelligent Healthcare Media. Continue Reading
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06 Jan 2021
Vermont Workgroup Outlines Long-Term Coverage for Audio-Only Telehealth
The workgroup has issued a 114-page report that examines how audio-only telehealth services have improved access to care during the COVID-19 crisis, with recommendations for continuing commercial payer and Medicaid coverage. Continue Reading
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05 Jan 2021
Labor Dept. Makes Telehealth a Permanent Option for FMLA Requests
Federal officials have permanently extended an emergency order giving employees the option to use telehealth to meet with doctors to qualify for taking time off under the Family and Medical Leave Act. Continue Reading
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04 Jan 2021
Baker Signs Massachusetts Telehealth Bill With Parity Provisions Into Law
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed a comprehensive healthcare bill into law on New Year's Day, mandating permanent payment parity for telemental health and establishing two years of parity for primary and chronic care services. Continue Reading
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04 Jan 2021
Telehealth Supporters See Little to Celebrate in Pandemic Relief Bill
The bill signed into law by President Trump before Christmas offers a few telehealth tidbits - including Medicare coverage for telemental health and rural hospitals and funding for broadband connectivity - but the criticism has so far outweighed the compliments. Continue Reading