Hospices Turn to Telehealth, Mostly, to Address COVID-19 Concerns
New CMS guidance has given hospices more leeway to use telehealth during the Coronavirus pandemic, but one restriction is hindering them from providing virtual end-of-life support and care.
- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has relaxed its rules to allow hospice care providers to use more telehealth during the Coronavirus pandemic, but the agency is keeping one rule in place that curbs telehealth use during the last week of a patient’s life.
In a March 29 guidance document that followed passage of the CARES Act, CMS announced that it would OK Medicare reimbursement for telehealth sessions to cover routine home care, as well as for patient recertification for the Medicare hospice benefit.
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