This video offers a deep dive into the different telehealth policies related to mental health that went into effect in 2022. The PPT for this video can be found here.
CCHP’s executive director, Mei Kwong, provides insight on how court cases can also develop telehealth policy. The PPT for this video can be found here.
CCHP’s February Newsletter is Here! This month’s topics include: CMS Releases Article on CY2022 Telehealth Update to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule; Federal Lawmakers Send Letter Urging Leadership to Extend Telehealth Expansions; HHS Proposes Rule to Collect Information on Telehealth for ACA Plan Issuers; No Surprise Act has Disclosure Requirement Implications for Telemedicine Providers; January Policy Developments in CCHP’s Telehealth Policy Finder and Policy Trends Maps; Spotlight on the National Emergency Tele-Critical Care Network (NETCCN) in Supporting COVID Efforts & Preparing for the Next Emergency; New COVID-19 Telehealth Program Funding for 68 Healthcare Providers; Associated Press-NORC Survey on Telehealth Attitudes of Older Adults.
At the end of 2021, a provision in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020, which allowed patients increased access to telehealth, expired. Under the law, employees with high-deductible health plans and Health Savings Accounts (HDHP-HSAs) were able to receive telehealth benefits pre-deductible, rather than having to meet certain out-of-pocket thresholds before telehealth would be covered by their employer or health plan. On January 21, 2022, health care stakeholders sent a letter to Congressional Leaders urging them to quickly reinstate these provisions of law and ensure telehealth access is maintained for all Americans. The letter includes the citation of a survey conducted by the Employee Benefit Research Institute, indicating that 96 percent of employers were utilizing that law to offer telehealth coverage pre-deductible to 32 million employees across the country.
The initial decision to deny a Florida-based telehealth company, RemoteICU (RICU), Medicare payments for telehealth treatment delivered by overseas doctors during the public health emergency (PHE) was upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia last Tuesday. CCHP has been tracking the case since the lawsuit was first filed by RICU early last year against the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), arguing that restricting reimbursement for telehealth providers out of the country violated federal telehealth waivers requiring Medicare to pay for critical-care services regardless of whether the provider and patient are in different locations. RICU’s contracted physicians are located abroad but do maintain licenses in the United States.
