Telehealth During the COVID-19 Outbreak

New information is coming out daily as the federal government responds to the outbreak of COVID-19. The following is the latest in changes to Telehealth requirements.

CMS Expands Medicare Coverage for Telehealth Visits

The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) announced that it will reimburse at the same rate as in-person visits for all telehealth provided starting March 6, 2020.

CMS Resources

HHS and Telehealth

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will waive potential HIPAA penalties for good faith use of telehealth during the emergency. Any “non-public facing remote communication product that is available to communicate with patients can be used.” This applies to telehealth provided for any reason and does not need to be related to COVID-19.

HHS has also waived cost-sharing requirements for telehealth during the crisis, which means that providers are not required to charge any copayments.

HHS Resources

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