![]() ![]() Pay parity for phone services was agreed to by CMS with respect to evaluation and management (E/M) visits, matching levels 2 to 4 established outpatient visits based on time, retroactive to March 1, 2020. ![]() ![]() Physician supervision could be done remotely, including patient care provided under an advanced practice provider. Additional waivers included removing telehealth visit frequency limits. Other changes include the ability to provide virtual check-ins to new patients (a change from the Mapress release) and billing for telephone services ( CPT 99441-99443). Parity reimbursement for more than 80 additional services by telehealth, including consultations in the emergency department, observation, inpatient, critical care, care planning, and neuropsychologic testing were allowed by CMS. The submission deadline for the 2019 Quality Payment Program (QPP) was extended by CMS and offered neutral payment for 2021 if no submission was made by April 30, 2020. Coinsurance and deductibles could also be waived. The originating site refers to where the Medicare beneficiary (the patient) is located, whereas the distant site refers to the location of the eligible health care provider. 2 The originating site could be the patient’s home. There are 2 notable sets of regulatory waivers and new rules by CMS.ĬMS informed providers they could be paid for synchronous telehealth visits at in-person rates, retroactive to March 6, 2020. Many state governments and commercial payors followed suit over the ensuing weeks. The process to expand telehealth access and reimbursement occurred in progressive steps at the federal level. Along with the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, passed on March 6, 2020, flexibilities of CMS allowed broadened access to telehealth services on a temporary and emergency basis during the COVID-19 PHE for people with Medicare benefits. Section 1135 of the Social Security Act allowed the Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary to temporarily waive or modify certain Medicare, Medicaid, and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) policies. ![]() Exchange of medical information via store-and-forward or asynchronous digital communication (eg, images, documents, and prerecorded videos) is completed with secure email, patient portals, or other secure file exchange 1 The “History” of CMS Changes Because of COVID-19 Remote patient monitoring, whereby data is transferred to providers in a different locationĤ. Mobile health, from targeted text messages promoting healthy behavior to wide-scale alerts about disease outbreaksģ. Synchronous or 2-way, real time interactive audio and videoĢ. Within this collection are 4 modalities.ġ. Telehealth is the broad term referring to various electronic and telecommunication technologies for delivery of virtual medical services and health education. In order for beneficiaries to receive a wider range of services from their doctors without having to travel to a health care facility, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) catalyzed telehealth, thereby bringing health care directly to the people. To protect its citizens, dramatic government interventions were made to maximize physical distancing. In early March, the World Health Organization deemed the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) a pandemic, and the US federal government declared a national public health emergency (PHE). Imagining that a new construct in health care would happen essentially overnight, was impossible 6 months ago. ![]()
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