Telehealth services and providers have been in high demand as the world copes with the COVID-19 public health emergency. Federal and state agencies have amended, and often loosened, regulations in an attempt to facilitate and expand access to telehealth. However, the honeymoon phase of relaxed oversight may be coming to an end as the world adjusts to a new-normal.
Continue Reading The Honeymoon Phase Is Over: OIG to Audit COVID-19 Part B Telehealth Services
In response to the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency (the “PHE”) first declared on March 13, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) issued blanket Section 1135 Waivers to expand, albeit on a temporary basis during the PHE, the range of healthcare professionals who can provide Medicare-covered telehealth services to include physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech language pathologists, and other non-physician practitioners. (See also, CMS Fact Sheet, “Medicare Telemedicine Health Care Provider Fact Sheet” (March 17, 2020) and CMS’s “COVID-19 Emergency Declaration Blanket Waivers for Health Care Providers” (December 1, 2020)).
Continue Reading The Other Shoe Drops: OIG To Audit COVID-19 Telehealth Home Health Services