Proposed Medicare Physician Payment Rule Expands Coverage of Telehealth

Posted on July 17, 2018 by Jeff Bostic

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) last week released a proposed rule on physician payment that would take effect for calendar year 2019. Included are several proposals for updating and changing those payment practices, but the changes of most significance to LeadingAge Minnesota members are the proposed expansion of coverage of telehealth services. 

Starting on page 63 of the proposed rule, CMS details a couple of new services that would be covered as remote telehealth services. They are a remote check-in with a patient and a review of video or images submitted by a patient. Both new services will allow broader use of telehealth for Medicare beneficiaries, and have the potential to allow for diagnosis and treatment to be completed without the need to transfer long-term care clients to a doctor’s office or hospital. 

CMS will post a final version of the rule later this year. In the meantime, members are encouraged to talk with their local physicians about this new proposal and the opportunity for more efficient and better patient care that it creates.