Policy News

Bipartisan lawmakers present bill to solidify telehealth flexibilities

March 15, 2024 - United States representatives from both sides of the aisle introduced new legislation to permanently extend several telehealth flexibilities for Medicare beneficiaries. Called the Telehealth Modernization Act of 2024, the bill is an updated version of legislation introduced in 2021. The new legislation would permanently eliminate geographic...


Articles

Healthcare stakeholders call for hospital-at-home waiver permanency

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More than 65 healthcare organizations have signed a letter urging Congress to extend the Acute Hospital Care at Home waiver program for at least five years beyond 2024. The letter sent to...

Expanded Virtual OUD Medication Access Likely to be Cost-Effective

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Regulatory flexibilities enabling virtual initiation and at-home doses of medications for opioid use disorder (OUD) are likely cost-effective, according to new research. Published in the journal Drug...

Stakeholders Urge Congress to Take Early Action on Telehealth Access

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More than 200 virtual care stakeholders have signed a letter to Congress urging action on telehealth regulations early in the year, asking for more time to implement new policies before pandemic-era...

US House Reps Introduce Bill to Expand Virtual Specialty Care Access

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A bipartisan group of United States House representatives has introduced legislation to assess the feasibility and efficacy of a virtual specialty network for Medicare and Medicaid...

HHS Final Rule to Solidify Access to OUD Medications via Telehealth

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The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will publish a final rule on February 2 that significantly expands access to medications for opioid use disorder (OUD), including allowing treatment...

Lawmakers Call on HHS to Collaborate on Telehealth Access Policies

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A group of lawmakers from the United States House of Representatives and Senate have sent a letter urging the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to work with Congress to maintain expanded...

State Changes to Telehealth Policy Appear to be Stagnating

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State action on telehealth policy and regulation stalled in 2023, apart from a few states that made significant changes, according to a new report. Released by the Cicero Institute, the third annual...

Senators Reintroduce Bill to Ease Telemental Healthcare Access

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A group of bipartisan senators have reintroduced a bill to expand access to virtual mental healthcare services for Medicare beneficiaries. The Telemental Health Care Access Act aims to remove the...

New Bill to Expand Home-Based Virtual Mental, Substance Use Care

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Two United States representatives have introduced a new bill that aims to expand access to at-home virtual mental health and substance use services in rural communities. Introduced by Andrea Salinas...

Stakeholders Urge Senators to Avert ‘Fast and Slow’ Death of Telehealth

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Earlier this week, a United States Senate subcommittee heard testimonials from a group of healthcare leaders on the importance of making permanent regulatory flexibilities supporting expanded...

Bipartisan Bill Aims to Expand OUD Medication Access via Telehealth

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A bipartisan group of four senators reintroduced legislation that would eliminate barriers to the virtual prescription of medication for opioid use disorder (OUD). Called the Telehealth Response for...

New PFS Rule Includes Telehealth Payment, Address Reporting Wins

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Though the newly released 2024 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) final rule did not bring good news for all in the healthcare industry, telehealth proponents garnered some critical wins. Effective on or...

Half of US States Reimburse for 4 Common Forms of Virtual Care

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Though all 50 states and Washington, D.C., provide reimbursement for some form of live video-based telehealth within their Medicaid programs, only 25 provide Medicaid reimbursement for live video as...

Telehealth Stakeholders Ask CMS to Eliminate Address Reporting Burden

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Numerous industry groups and healthcare stakeholders are requesting the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to continue allowing healthcare providers to conduct telehealth services from...

FDA Creates Advisory Committee for Digital Health Technology

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The United States Food and Drug Administration has created a Digital Health Advisory Committee to support the agency’s efforts to explore the scientific and technical issues related to using...

ATA Submits Recommendations for Telehealth Prescription Flexibility

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ATA Action, the advocacy arm of the American Telemedicine Association (ATA), has submitted recommendations to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on creating a special registration...

Medicaid Coverage Linked to Rise in Telehealth Use, Healthcare Access

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Medicaid coverage of telehealth services between 2013 and 2019 was associated with significant increases in telehealth use and healthcare access, but private insurer coverage of telehealth during the...

CMS: Hospitals Can Continue to Bill for Remote Outpatient Therapies

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In a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) document, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) stated that hospitals could continue to bill for various outpatient therapies delivered via remote...

HHS: How the End of the PHE Will Impact Telehealth Flexibilities

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Today marks the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), bringing changes to telehealth flexibilities enacted amid the pandemic. On May 11, the Department for Health and Human Services (HHS)...

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