CMS Releases Telehealth Toolkits for General Practitioners During COVID-19 – Health Law Alert
Dear Clients and Friends:
The Coronavirus pandemic has placed an increased focus on finding ways to take care of patients without having to physically be with them in every instance.
Telemedicine is in the forefront of this.
Several of my clients have stopped seeing patients in the office, but have provided services remotely. It allows patients to receive the healthcare services they need. It also allows practitioners to provide those services and continue to generate much needed cash flow in a time when office visits and other in-person elective services are down, if not totally out. And it keeps people safer by not having to be physically seen in person.
Click here or see below for more details from the CMS. Continue to think about how telehealth can help your practice provide better service and better bottom line.
If we may help in any way, please let us know. We hope that you and your families stay safe and healthy during this time.
Thank you,
Bill Kalogredis
CMS Releases Telehealth Toolkits for General Practitioners and End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Providers
Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released two comprehensive toolkits on telehealth that are specific to general practitioners as well as providers treating patients with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD).
Under President Trump’s leadership to respond to the need to limit the spread of COVID-19, CMS has broadened access to Medicare telehealth services so that beneficiaries can receive a wider range of services from their doctors without having to travel to a healthcare facility. CMS is expanding this benefit on a temporary and emergency basis under the 1135 waiver authority and Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act. Under this new waiver, Medicare can pay for office, hospital, and other visits furnished via telehealth across the country and including in patient’s places of residence starting March 6, 2020. A range of providers, such as doctors, nurse practitioners, clinical psychologists, and licensed clinical social workers, will be able to offer telehealth to their patients. These benefits are part of the broader effort by CMS and the White House Task Force to ensure that all Americans – particularly those at high-risk of complications from the virus that causes the disease COVID-19 are aware of easy-to-use, accessible benefits that can help keep them healthy while helping to contain the community spread of this virus.
Each toolkit contains electronic links to reliable sources of information on telehealth and telemedicine, which will reduce the amount of time providers spend searching for answers and increase their time with patients. Many of these links will help providers choose learn about the general concept of telehealth, choose telemedicine vendors, initiate a telemedicine program, monitor patients remotely, and develop documentation tools. Additionally, the information contained within each toolkit will also outline temporary virtual services that could be used to treat patients during this specific period of time.
CMS continues to monitor the developing COVID-19 situation and assess options to bring relief to clinicians. To keep up with the important work the Task Force is doing in response to COVID-19 click here www.coronavirus.gov. For complete and updated information specific to CMS, please visit the Current Emergencies Website.
Vasilios (“Bill”) J. Kalogredis is Chairman of Lamb McErlane’s Health Law Department. Bill has been exclusively practicing health law for over 40 years, representing physicians, dentists, group practices, other health care professionals and health care-related entities.
