Resources & Reports

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the influx of providers new to utilizing telehealth to deliver services not only sparked an increase in demands for individualized technical assistance but also for best practice guidelines.  Prior to the pandemic, best practice guidelines for the most part were created by professional organizations/societies or individual institutions to be used solely by their organizations.

Audio-only has become one of the most discussed telehealth policy issues over the course of the pandemic.  Its utilization, quality, and overall importance to access to care continue to be of focus in some of the latest telehealth surveys and studies. The American Medical Association (AMA) released their 2021 Telehealth Survey Report at the end of March, showcasing that more than two-thirds of providers utilizing telehealth use audio-only in particular. The poll also found that physicians prefer audio-video telehealth, with 93% of the over 2,000 physicians surveyed indicating use of live video.

CCHP’s April Newsletter is Here!  This month’s topics include: Anticipated Telehealth Changes When/If PHE Ends, What Stays, What Goes and When Could it Happen?; Two Federal COVID Reports Show Telehealth Imperative during COVID Emergency; CMS Provides Updates for FQHCs and RHCs to Bill Mental Health Visits via Telecommunications; Latest Policy Developments in CCHP’s Telehealth Policy Finder and Policy Trends Map; FCC Comments on Promoting Telehealth in Rural America; CCHP Releases Telehealth Medicaid Reference Chart for American Indian/Alaskan Native Health Services; Senate Finance Committee Bipartisan Mental Health Report; URAC White Paper Details Their Observed Advantages of Telehealth in the Field.

A focus around accessing substance use disorder (SUD) treatment via telehealth has strengthened during the course of the pandemic both in terms of policy and research. Some of the latest long-term federal policy developments around telehealth have centered around mental health and SUD services. In December 2020, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) which included a change that allowed for the provision of mental health and substance use disorder services in the home without geographic limitations, if the patient had an in-person visit with the telehealth provider within six months prior to the telehealth service taking place.

The Center for Connected Health Policy’s (CCHP) updated billing guide for 2022, Billing for Telehealth Encounters: An Introductory Guide on Medicare Fee-For-Service is now available!! With the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) tracking telehealth policy has become even more complex and varied, therefore the billing guide seeks to break down permanent post-PHE policies versus temporary PHE policy exceptions, as well as new legislative and administrative requirements relevant to telehealth billing. Many new requirements will only kick in post-PHE.