Resources & Reports

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration Bureau of Primary Health Care recently released a series of briefsregarding the Optimizing Virtual Care (OVC) program and health center experiences and strategies related to virtual care implementation. Using Fiscal year (FY) 2022 funding, the OVC program funded 29 health centers to develop, implement, and evaluate innovative evidence-based virtual care strategies designed to expand telehealth utilization, health care access and clinical quality for underserved communities, as well as improve health outcomes, enhance care coordination, and promote health equity.

Today the Center for Connected Health Policy (CCHP) is releasing its Summary of state telehealth policy changes for Spring.  Additionally, we are also making available a summary chart showing where states stand on many key telehealth policies, as well as aninfographic highlighting our key findings.  The most current information in CCHP’s online policy finder tool may be exported for each state into a PDF document.  Note that the review period for this report was January through March 2023.

Earlier this week, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) released a temporary rule titled “Temporary Extension of COVID-19 Telemedicine Flexibilities for Prescription of Controlled Medications”.  The temporary rule was made in response to nearly 39,000 comments the DEA received on their proposed rules regarding what would happen post-public health emergency (PHE) in regards to prescribing of controlled substances via telehealth. The two earlier released proposed rules, one related to non-narcotic controlled substances and one related to buprenorphine, were published on March 1, 2023 with public comment closing on March 31, 2023. The two rules would only allow for the prescribing of a 30-day supply of a non-narcotic controlled substance or buprenorphine.

CCHP’s May Newsletter is Here! This month’s topics include – PHE to End May 11, Some Medicare COVID Telehealth Flexibilities Will Linger; What Might the DEA’s Final Regulations on Telehealth Prescribing of Controlled Substances Entail?; Update to CMS Hospice Telehealth Policies; Home Health Agency Telehealth G-Code Reporting Requirements; HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) Provides Toolkit on Analyzing Telehealth Program Integrity Risks; MedPAC Previews Telehealth Report Findings in Presentation; Upcoming Changes to the PREP Act Declaration on Covered Countermeasures for COVID-19; California Medicaid (Medi-Cal) Adds Reimbursement for Continuous Glucose Monitoring. 

Last month the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized the “Medicare Program; Contract Year 2024 Policy and Technical Changes to Medicare Advantage Program, Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Program, Medicare Cost Plan Program, and Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly” (“2024 Policy Changes to MA Program”).  Among the many policies listed in this final rule, is a requirement for Medicare Advantage (MA) plans to identify enrollees with low digital health literacy and determine how they will be addressing that need.