This article is the first post in our new “State” of Telehealth series in which we discuss innovation on a state level on the expansion of telehealth access, coverage and reimbursement.
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New Telehealth Series: The “State” of Telehealth
The Sheppard Mullin telehealth team is proud to announce the creation of a new series focusing on developments in telehealth on a state level. The series will include, among other things, blog posts and webinars on state telehealth related matters.
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Day 3 Notes for the 39th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, 2021
We’ve been talking about telehealth and mental health this week. Here’s both combined in one interesting and highly valued announcement today, followed by several tests – well, 3 million COVID tests a week to be exact, and, speaking of Exact Sciences, developments in the early detection tests for the other major disease that is most feared, cancer.
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The Permanency for Audio-Only Telehealth Act: A Matter of Healthcare Equity?
In our December 7, 2020 Blog Post, “Permanent Expansion of Medicare Telehealth Services,” we discussed the 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule (the “Final Rule”) and the regulatory changes made therein by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) to expand Medicare telehealth coverage within the confines of existing Medicare statutory law. The Final Rule was first posted on December 2, 2020 and was formally published in the Federal Register on December 28, 2020.
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Permanent Expansion of Medicare Telehealth Services
On December 1, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) released the annual Physician Fee Schedule final rule (“Final Rule”) which, among other things, aimed to further President Trump’s October 3, 2019 Executive Order #13890 on “Protecting and Improving Medicare for Our Nation’s Seniors” (the “EO”) by expanding the use of proven alternatives like telehealth services to Medicare beneficiaries even after the conclusion of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (the “Pandemic”).
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It’s Official: Telehealth Benefits Have Been Expanded For Medicare Beneficiaries
On August 3, 2020, President Trump signed Executive Order 13941 (the “Executive Order”) which expands access to certain telehealth services post-pandemic. The Executive Order focuses on telehealth access for individuals living in rural areas and implements the following mechanisms:
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Reopening Challenges: FAQs On Preparing For Additional Waves Of COVID-19
Many areas of the country are experiencing resurgences of COVID-19, and it is foreseeable that second and perhaps third waves of the virus will hit pockets of the country throughout the remainder of 2020. As healthcare organizations struggle to balance their continued response efforts to the pandemic, with preparations for future waves, we have received many questions from provider organizations regarding how best to prepare their organizations.
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The Post COVID-19 World: Continued Focus on Relaxing Telehealth Barriers
This week, Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) proposed the Equal Access to Care Act (the “EACA”), which would allow licensed providers to provide services via telehealth in any state, in any location for up to 180 days after the end of the public health emergency period.
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Release of Second Webcast Video Focused on Telehealth Revenue Cycle Considerations
Sheppard Mullin and Citrin Cooperman have released the second video of their series of recordings focused on guiding healthcare organizations and providers through the different components of their Telehealth Maturity Model.
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Release of Telehealth Video Series and Readiness Assessment
On April 27, Sheppard Mullin and Citrin Cooperman released a white paper entitled “Telehealth Development: Addressing the Current Need, While Strategically Position for the Future” addressing how federal and state regulators are promoting the expansion of telehealth. Healthcare organizations, of all types and sizes, are working to respond to the rapidly-changing regulatory environment. While there is uncertainty as to what extent these regulatory changes will remain in effect following the public health emergency period, it will be critical for all healthcare organizations to establish a strong foundation for a more permanent telehealth strategy after the crisis is over.
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CMS Updates Waivers, Provides More Flexibility for Providers Responding to COVID-19
As the COVID-19 emergency continues to heavily impact the U.S. and its health care system, CMS has issued additional flexibilities for providers and payors seeking to respond to the pandemic. These new flexibilities are described both in revisions to CMS’ blanket waivers and in a new Interim Final Rule with comment period, both issued on April 30. Many of these flexibilities are responsive to questions and requests submitted to CMS over the past few weeks, providers’ experiences with developing and implementing pandemic response plans, and the regulatory obstacles they have encountered. While these new flexibilities will not eliminate all of the regulatory challenges currently facing providers responding to COVID-19, and providers must be careful to continue to track the scope of CMS’ flexibilities, they will be very helpful to many providers in their ongoing COVID-19 response efforts. In particular, and among other things, CMS’ new guidance expands flexibility for telehealth services, provides additional support for COVID-19 testing, relaxes additional regulatory requirements applicable to certain payors, provides other key regulatory flexibilities, and offers guidance to MSSP ACOs on payment calculations for periods affected by the public health emergency.
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