Resources & Reports

A Kaiser Family Foundation brief presents new information and analysis of Medicare beneficiaries’ utilization of telehealth using Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services  (CMS) survey data from between summer and fall of 2020 while CMS emergency telehealth expansions were in effect.  Given the limitations around Medicare telehealth coverage pre-pandemic, many of these individuals had little experience with telehealth previously, offering an important perspective to inform ongoing telehealth policy considerations.

CCHP’s June Newsletter is here!  This month includes:  California Updates Telehealth and Broadband Budget Proposals; Federal Broadband Funding Negotiations Continue; Recent DOJ Fraud Charges Include Few Details and Links to Telehealth; States Expand Medicaid Reimbursement of School-Based Telehealth Services; New Nationwide Poll Shows an Increased Popularity for Telehealth Services; Arizona Legislation Signed to Expand Telehealth and Audio-only Access, and much more!

The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) released testimony May 19th regarding their ongoing assessment of COVID-19 flexibilities within the Medicare and Medicaid programs, as required under federal pandemic response oversight provisions included the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Provided before the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, the GAO focused its summarized findings around the effects of program flexibilities and preliminary observations related to telehealth waivers of certain federal requirements, as well as considerations regarding ongoing use.

Earlier this month Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland regarding the long-delayed regulations from the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) for a telehealth registry to prescribe controlled substances.  In the letter, Senator Warner expressed great concern for the delay and that “the DEA’s failure to address this issue means that a vast majority of health care providers that use telehealth to prescribe controlled substances to and otherwise treat their patients have been deterred in getting them the quality care they need.”