2024: New Federal Developments -
There were no relevant federal developments during Q2 of 2024.
2024: New State-Level Developments...more
Florida passed S.B. 7016, which:
Expands the telehealth minority maternity care program from a pilot to a statewide program....more
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
2023 was a difficult year for specialty value based care start-ups. Revenue fell below expectations, engagement lagged and many start-ups struggled. Health system work in this arena was modest despite a critical mass of...more
With the recent announcements of two new innovation models, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is recognizing the role of digitally enabled care in improving access and outcomes.
...more
3/11/2024
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
CMMI ,
Electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI) ,
Funding Opportunities ,
Health Information Technologies ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
HITECH Act ,
Medicaid ,
Mental Health ,
Substance Abuse
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
Background Three years following the onset of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), states across the United States continue to enact permanent changes to telehealth laws that impact how physicians and other health care...more
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
Three years following the onset of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), states across the United States continue to enact permanent changes to telehealth laws that impact how physicians and other providers can deliver...more
11/9/2023
/ Abortion ,
American Medical Association ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medical Reimbursement ,
Physicians ,
Popular ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine ,
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
The Medicaid Market: A Huge and Growing Investment Opportunity -
Medicaid is a critical source of health care coverage for women in their childbearing years, covering 1 in 5, or 13 million, women of reproductive age and...more
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
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
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
Catalyzed by the COVID-19 pandemic, many behavioral health care providers have implemented telehealth services to augment existing partial hospitalization programs (PHPs) and intensive outpatient programs (IOPs). In a new...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
Telehealth has emerged as an essential tool for expanding patient access to health care services during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. States, payers and providers are continuing to examine the evolving role telehealth will...more
By March of this year, more than 61% of Americans had experienced a telehealth visit—and almost 88% want to continue using telehealth for nonurgent consultations, even after the pandemic passes, according to findings reported...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
5/23/2022
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
New Legislation ,
Patient Access ,
Popular ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
The United States continues to face a behavioral health crisis that has worsened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, nearly 40% of adults reported symptoms of depression or anxiety, an increase from 10% in 2019....more
5/5/2022
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Medical Reimbursement ,
Medicare ,
Mental Health ,
Patient Access ,
Physician Fee Schedule ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine