Category Archives: Telehealth

Coronavirus: Hospices Can Help

Our healthcare system is in just the initial stages of the Coronavirus19 crisis. Hospices have a role to play. Let’s keep it short. Here is what we need to do:… Continue Reading

Dateline: Telehealth and COVID-19

By Erica Kraus on March 17, 2020 Posted in Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ("CMS"), Coronavirus, Telehealth

CMS issued guidance this afternoon on expanded Medicare coverage of telehealth services during the COVID-19 outbreak. Under the guidance, Medicare will pay for office, hospital, and other visits furnished via telehealth across the country, including in patient’s places of residence, retroactive to March 6, 2020. CMS does not plan to enforce any requirement that visits … Continue Reading

Telehealth and Federal and State Government Responses to the Coronavirus Pandemic

By Matthew Shatzkes, Michael Paddock, Erica Kraus and Kimberly Rai on March 16, 2020 Posted in Coronavirus, Telehealth

As the coronavirus strain (COVID-19) continues to spread, the government, insurance companies and medical providers are rushing to find paths to more efficiently and effectively provide care for those in need. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) warns that the virus is spread mainly from person to person and that people are most … Continue Reading

Legislation Re-Introduced to Expand Access to Telehealth Under Medicare

By Matthew Shatzkes and Susan Ingargiola on November 7, 2019 Posted in Medicare, Telehealth

A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation on October 30th designed to expand Medicare beneficiaries’ access to telehealth services. The bill is called the Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies for Health Act of 2019 (hereinafter, the “CONNECT Act” or the “Act”). In order to understand what the Act seeks to accomplish, … Continue Reading

California Expands Medicaid Telehealth Policy

By Matthew Shatzkes and Susan Ingargiola on October 7, 2019 Posted in Telehealth

The California Department of Health Care Services (“DHCS”) recently revised its Medi-Cal telehealth policy to allow providers increased flexibility in their use of telehealth as a modality for delivering medically necessary services to their patients. The policy is retroactively effective as of July 1, 2019, and fee-for-service providers must submit claims for services provided via telehealth … Continue Reading

OIG to Audit Provision of Behavioral Health Services Through Tele-Health Under Medicaid Managed Care

By Matthew Shatzkes and Susan Ingargiola on October 4, 2019 Posted in Healthcare Law, Telehealth

In its recently updated Work Plan, the Office of the Inspector General (“OIG”) at the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) announced that it will conduct an audit focusing on how selected state Medicaid agencies and Medicaid managed care organizations (“MCOs”) leverage telehealth to provide behavioral healthcare.… Continue Reading