One-third of hospitals across the country offered telestroke services, but less than 40 percent submitted Medicare telestroke claims in the year before the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the Furthering Access to Stroke Telemedicine (FAST) Act, Medicare claims for telestroke services increased in rural and urban emergency departments. However, there was still substantial underbilling from hospitals with […]
The bill proposes extending Medicare reimbursement for a range of telehealth services, including substance abuse treatment, for two years after the public health emergency has ended. A new piece of bipartisan legislation has been introduced in the US Senate that aims to extend access to telehealth for Medicare beneficiaries after the COVID-19 pandemic has ended. […]
The documents released earlier this month offer details on 42 eCQMs for telehealth services during the 2020 performance period and 39 eCQMs for telehealth services during the 2021 performance period. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has released additional details on telehealth reimbursement through quality reporting programs for the 2020 and 2021 performance periods. […]
The utilization of telehealth services has increased significantly over the past few years, as those in the healthcare industry have started to realize the benefits it offers. Telemedicine allows organizations to maximize existing service lines; add new specialties without the associated costs and hassle of hiring full-time, in-house clinicians; and increase patient satisfaction. It also provides better […]
Telemedicine reimbursement and other regulatory flexibilities enabled providers to quickly pivot operations for COVID-19, but temporary policies also poised the health policy landscape for significant change after the pandemic. In the wake of the first confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the US, policymakers quickly relaxed long-standing healthcare regulations, including telemedicine reimbursement and healthcare fraud prevention […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating across all areas of health and business. Physician practices, for example, on average are reporting a 55% decrease in revenue and a 60% decrease in patient volume, according to the results of a Medical Group Management Association survey. Nearly all surveyed medical groups (97%) report a negative financial impact […]