<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small">Good Morning,</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small">Yesterday CMS released a 36 page document dealing with Medicare expansion during COVID 19. It included further expansions to telehealth. Below you will find these expansions. We are watching for new fact sheets, clarifications and guidance regarding these changes and will forward them to you as we get them.</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small">Best,</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small">Cathy</div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">---------- Forwarded message ---------<br>From: <strong class="gmail_sendername" dir="auto">Deb LaMarche</strong> <span dir="auto"><<a href="mailto:deb.lamarche@utn.org">deb.lamarche@utn.org</a>></span><br>Date: Fri, May 1, 2020 at 7:18 AM<br>Subject: Telehealth changes keep coming during COVID-19!<br>To: <br></div><br><br>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.0pt">On April 30, 2020, the CMS Newsroom published a press release,
<a href="https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/trump-administration-issues-second-round-sweeping-changes-support-us-healthcare-system-during-covid" target="_blank">
Trump Administration Issues Second Round of Sweeping Changes to Support U.S. Healthcare System During COVID-19 Pandemic</a>. Here are the excerpts regarding telehealth:<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Further Expand Telehealth in Medicare:<u></u><u></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.0pt">CMS directed a historic expansion of telehealth services so that doctors and other providers can deliver a wider range of care to Medicare beneficiaries in their homes. Beneficiaries thus don’t have to travel
to a healthcare facility and risk exposure to COVID-19.<u></u><u></u></p>
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<li class="m_2476848597399284551MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst">
For the duration of the COVID-19 emergency, CMS is <b>waiving limitations on the types of clinical practitioners that can furnish Medicare telehealth services</b>. Prior to this change, only doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and certain others
could deliver telehealth services. Now, other practitioners are able to provide telehealth services, including
<b>physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech language pathologists</b>.<u></u><u></u></li><li class="m_2476848597399284551MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<b>Hospitals may bill for services furnished remotely </b>by hospital-based practitioners to Medicare patients registered as hospital outpatients,
<b>including when the patient is at home</b> when the home is serving as a temporary provider-based department of the hospital. Examples of such services include counseling and educational service as well as therapy services. This change expands the types of
healthcare providers that can provide using telehealth technology. <u></u><u></u></li><li class="m_2476848597399284551MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
<b>Hospitals may bill as the originating site</b> for telehealth services furnished by hospital-based practitioners to Medicare patients registered as hospital outpatients, including when the patient is located at home.<u></u><u></u></li><li class="m_2476848597399284551MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
CMS previously announced that Medicare would pay for certain services conducted by
<b>audio-only telephone</b> between beneficiaries and their doctors and other clinicians. Now, CMS is
<b>broadening that list</b> to include many behavioral health and patient education services. CMS is also
<b>increasing payments for these telephone visits</b> to match payments for similar office and outpatient visits. This would increase payments for these services from a range of about $14-$41 to about $46-$110. The payments are retroactive to March 1, 2020.<u></u><u></u></li><li class="m_2476848597399284551MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
Until now, CMS only added new services to the list of Medicare services that may be furnished via telehealth using its rulemaking process. CMS is
<b>changing its process</b> during the emergency, and <b>will add new telehealth services</b> on a sub-regulatory basis,
<b>considering requests by practitioners</b> now learning to use telehealth as broadly as possible. This will speed up the process of adding services.<u></u><u></u></li><li class="m_2476848597399284551MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
As mandated by the CARES Act, CMS is paying for Medicare telehealth services provided by
<b>rural health clinics and federally qualified health clinics</b>. Previously, these clinics could not be paid to provide telehealth expertise as “<b>distant sites</b>.” Now, Medicare beneficiaries located in rural and other medically underserved areas will
have more options to access care from their home without having to travel.<u></u><u></u></li><li class="m_2476848597399284551MsoListParagraphCxSpLast">
Since some Medicare beneficiaries don’t have access to interactive audio-video technology that is required for Medicare telehealth services, or choose not to use it even if offered by their practitioner,
<b>CMS is waiving the video requirement for certain telephone evaluation and management services</b>, and adding them to the list of Medicare telehealth services. As a result, Medicare beneficiaries will be able to use an audio-only telephone to get these services.<u></u><u></u></li></ul>
<p class="MsoNormal">Details can be found here:<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.cms.gov/files/document/summary-covid-19-emergency-declaration-waivers.pdf" target="_blank">CMS COVID-19 Emergency Declaration Blanket Waivers for Health Care Providers</a>, 4-29-2020<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Contact the <a href="https://nrtrc.org/" target="_blank">NRTRC</a> if you have questions, or join us for
<a href="https://nrtrc.org/covid-19-detail-118" target="_blank">Friday Office Hours</a> 2:00-3:00 Mtn / 1:00-2:00 Pacific / 12:00-1:00 Alaska.<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Best regards,<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Deb LaMarche<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Lucida Handwriting"">Deb LaMarche</span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Lucida Handwriting""><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Program Director & PI, </span>
<a href="https://nrtrc.org/" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;text-decoration:none">Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center</span></b></a><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">801-587-6190 office | 801-690-3406 cell |
</span><a href="mailto:deb.lamarche@utn.org" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">deb.lamarche@utn.org</span></a><span style="font-size:9.0pt;color:#1f4e79"> |
</span><a href="http://nrtrc.org" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">http://nrtrc.org</span></a><span style="font-size:9.0pt;color:#1f4e79">
</span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><u></u> <u></u></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:9.0pt">The NRTRC is proud to be part of the
</span></i><a href="https://www.telehealthresourcecenter.org/" target="_blank"><i><span style="font-size:9.0pt">National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers</span></i></a><i><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><u></u><u></u></span></i></p>
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</div><br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div>Catherine S. Britain, Executive Director</div>
<div>Telehealth Alliance of Oregon</div><div><a href="mailto:csbritain@gmail.com" target="_blank">csbritain@gmail.com</a><br>541-910-7366</div>
<div><a href="http://www.ortelehealth.org" target="_blank">www.ortelehealth.org</a></div>
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