Online resource packed with regulatory news and expert guidance, tips & tools pertinent to professionals across the post-acute care continuum.
The new version of the Home Health Emergency Access to Telehealth (HEAT) Act bill introduced in the U.S. Senate on April 22, has industry leaders hopeful for action this session, but a change to the law will likely come with conditions. The bill, S.1309, would authorize Medicare reimbursement for home health services provided through telehealth […]
CMS is reminding providers to ensure that Medicare claims for telehealth are correctly billed. The agency issued broadly expanded telehealth services as part of its response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. However, a 2018 Office of Inspector General audit found that CMS paid practitioners for some telehealth claims that did not meet Medicare requirements […]
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Principal Deputy Inspector General Christi A. Grimm recently released a message regarding telehealth. “Where telehealth and other remote access technologies were once a matter of convenience, the public health emergency made them a matter of safety for many beneficiaries,” says Grimm. A year later, there is strong […]
CMS released the annual Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) final rule on December 1, expanding telehealth service coverage to Medicare beneficiaries. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, 15,000 fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries received telehealth services. As of mid-October, 24.5 million out of 63 million Medicare beneficiaries have now received some telehealth services. The final rule adds 60 telehealth […]
The Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) and Health Recovery Solutions (HRS) has introduced a Distinction in Telehealth program for health care organizations, including home health providers. Telehealth has grown in popularity during the public health emergency (PHE) and will likely find continued interest after the pandemic is over. “Our home care partners have developed […]
U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) recently introduced the Home Health Emergency Access to Telehealth (HEAT) Act — a bipartisan bill to provide Medicare reimbursement for telehealth services by home health agencies during the COVID-19 emergency — and future public health emergencies. “Home health serves a vital role in helping our nation’s seniors […]
Expert Maureen McCarthy, president of Celtic Consulting, LLC, and CEO and founder of Care Transitions, LLP, a care coordination service provider, joins us to talk about billing telehealth in SNFs amid COVID, and the future of telehealth in SNFs. Subscribe on SoundCloud, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.
CMS’ 2021 proposed PPS payment rule aims to make recently relaxed telecommunications requirements permanent beyond the public health emergency (PHE). That means regardless of the PHE, beginning Jan. 1, 2021, home health agencies can continue to use telecommunications as long as it “is related to the skilled services being furnished, is outlined in the plan […]
CMS issued an interim final rule on March 30 that provides some clarification for agencies dealing with the public health emergency. A few key points in the rule: CMS acknowledges that telehealth may be used in home health but that telehealth visits are not billable. In certain cases, a patient who is quarantining at home […]
In an attempt to provide healthcare providers with maximum flexibility when addressing COVID-19 concerns, CMS waived an unprecedented array of temporary regulatory waivers on March 30. The temporary waivers will last the duration of the emergency declaration put forth by the Trump administration, and include: Increased Hospital Capacity – CMS Hospitals Without Walls; Rapid expansion […]