Background -
Telehealth utilization spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, facilitated by state and federal policy change through the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) declaration. Use has tapered off from the height...more
3/28/2024
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Licensing Rules ,
Medical Reimbursement ,
Patient Access ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
S. 3430: Better Mental Health Care, Lower-Cost Drugs, and Extenders Act of 2023 Introduced December 7, 202-
This bill would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to:
Establish requirements for a code or...more
12/15/2023
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Physician Fee Schedule ,
Prescription Drug Coverage ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
Changes to the Medicare Telehealth Services List Structure and Updates Process -
Prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) evaluated changes to the Medicare...more
11/14/2023
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Final Rules ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Technology ,
Medicare ,
Opioid ,
Patient Access ,
Physician Fee Schedule ,
Physicians ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Rural Health Care Providers ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
The COVID-19 pandemic catalyzed a dramatic rise in the use of telehealth nationwide to deliver health care services to Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollees. In response to the health crisis, both...more
10/18/2023
/ Best Practices ,
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Data Collection ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Medicaid ,
North Carolina ,
Telehealth ,
Webinars
Editor’s Note: In a new issue brief published by the Milbank Memorial Fund and summarized below, Manatt Health and leadership from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS) share insights into...more
10/13/2023
/ Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
Medicaid ,
North Carolina ,
Pandemic ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
S. 2880: A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand the scope of practitioners eligible for payment for telehealth services under the Medicare program, and for other purposes....more
10/2/2023
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicare ,
New Legislation ,
Patient Access ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
Introduction -
The COVID-19 pandemic catalyzed a dramatic rise in the use of telehealth nationwide to deliver services to individuals enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The federal...more
9/27/2023
/ Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Medicaid ,
Patient Access ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Standard of Care ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
Payment Parity: Permanent State Laws and Statutes -
Payment Parity requires that health care providers are reimbursed the same amount for telehealth visits as in-person visits. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many states...more
8/31/2023
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Data Collection ,
DEA ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
Medicaid ,
OIG ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
In response to the large number of public comments received to its recent proposed telemedicine rules, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is holding public listening sessions to consider a special registration for...more
8/14/2023
/ Controlled Substances ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
DEA ,
Electronic Prescribing ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Patient Access ,
Pharmacies ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
Illinois passed S.B. 1913, which requires Medicaid FFS and Medicaid managed care plans to provide coverage of mental health services, substance use disorder treatment, and ‘behavioral telehealth services’. Requires Medicaid...more
7/31/2023
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Data Collection ,
DEA ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
FQHC ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
OIG ,
Physician Fee Schedule ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Rural Health Care Providers ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
On July 13, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its annual proposed rule updating the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) for calendar year (CY) 2024, which includes various proposed changes related...more
7/24/2023
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Physician Fee Schedule ,
Physicians ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
H.R. 4189 / S. 2016: Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act ....more
7/3/2023
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Data Collection ,
DEA ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
FQHC ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
OIG ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
This bill would require 1) the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to test payment and delivery models regarding the adoption and use of telehealth tools for screening, monitoring, and managing health complications...more
6/15/2023
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
DEA ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Healthcare ,
Medicare ,
OIG ,
Popular ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
Background -
The use of telehealth increased exponentially in 2020 and 2021 as health care providers and patients responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimated that the use of...more
6/1/2023
/ California ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
GAO ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Medi-Cal ,
Medicaid ,
OIG ,
Public Health Emergency ,
State and Local Government ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) at the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) released a report detailing findings from a national audit to evaluate compliance issues with psychotherapy services, including those...more
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues across the United States, states, payers, and providers are looking for ways to expand access to telehealth services. Telehealth is an essential tool in ensuring patients are able to access...more
5/9/2023
/ CARES Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Advantage ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
On May 3, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a statement from Administrator Anne Milgram on COVID-19 telemedicine flexibilities for prescribing controlled substances in which the DEA noted that it has “decided...more
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues across the United States, states, payers, and providers are looking for ways to expand access to telehealth services. Telehealth is an essential tool in ensuring patients are able to access...more
4/24/2023
/ CARES Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
CMMI ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
HRSA ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Patient Access ,
Popular ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine ,
TRACE
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues across the United States, states, payers, and providers are looking for ways to expand access to telehealth services. Telehealth is an essential tool in ensuring patients are able to access...more
4/10/2023
/ American Medical Association ,
CARES Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
CMMI ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Emergency Response ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
HRSA ,
Infectious Diseases ,
MedPAC ,
National Institute of Health (NIH) ,
OCR ,
Patient Access ,
Payment Systems ,
Public Health ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine ,
Title X
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues across the United States, states, payers, and providers are looking for ways to expand access to telehealth services. Telehealth is an essential tool in ensuring patients are able to access...more
3/28/2023
/ CARES Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Advantage ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues across the United States, states, payers, and providers are looking for ways to expand access to telehealth services. Telehealth is an essential tool in ensuring patients are able to access...more
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues across the United States, states, payers, and providers are looking for ways to expand access to telehealth services. Telehealth is an essential tool in ensuring patients are able to access...more
2/24/2023
/ CARES Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
OIG ,
Popular ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues across the United States, states, payers, and providers are looking for ways to expand access to telehealth services. Telehealth is an essential tool in ensuring patients are able to access...more
1/30/2023
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Physicians ,
Popular ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine ,
Waivers
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues across the United States, states, payers, and providers are looking for ways to expand access to telehealth services. Telehealth is an essential tool in ensuring patients are able to access...more
Editor’s Note: In a new report, summarized below, the American Medical Association (AMA) and Manatt Health explore the digital health disconnect and propose opportunities for health care stakeholders to address it. The report...more