Providers, payers and the government have yet to reach a consensus on how telehealth services will be compensated following the COVID-19 pandemic and the waivers that the public health emergency allowed.
During the pandemic, Congress required that insurance companies pay equally for virtual visits as it would for in-person care for...
Walgreens pharmacists from as many as 300 locations staged a walk off this week to protest poor working conditions.
Organizers told the Associated Press that the walkouts were planned for Monday through Wednesday, but a Walgreens spokesperson said that no more than a dozen stores had experienced disruptions. Walgreens workers are not...
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) published its annual June Report to Congress, which includes suggestions to unify payment methodologies for post-acute care, address issues within Medicare Advantage, and lower telehealth payments.
The MedPAC recommendations for streamlining payment methodologies for skilled nursing...
Today is the last day of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), and policies are rapidly shifting to accommodate the post-pandemic healthcare landscape in the U.S.
On Tuesday, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced that it would continue allowances for telehealth companies to prescribe controlled substances for six...
Providers who use telehealth platforms are already concerned about the restrictions they will face if the public health emergency (PHE) ends and COVID-19-related waivers for telemedicine expire. But new rules from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will further complicate their practices.
Under the DEA's new rule, patients will...
Industry stakeholders and patient advocacy organizations are urging Congress to pass legislation that would solidify telehealth waivers passed by the CARES Act during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE).
The vast majority of providers see telehealth as an opportunity to improve patient services and 94% of patients who have had...
Last Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill ahead of the Christmas deadline. The legislation includes big news for the healthcare sector, which responded to the bill with mixed feelings.
One major health policy provision in the package extends key Medicare telehealth flexibilities and...
A new study by West Health Institute analyzed survey responses from 7,246 American clinicians who offer telehealth to adults.
Telehealth use for senior care increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, facilitated by waivers from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). These services are well regarded for cutting costs,...
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has signaled that it will delay the end of the public health emergency (PHE) related to the COVID-19 pandemic until April, quelling fears from stakeholders that not enough time was given to review Medicaid eligibility for everyone enrolled since the pandemic began.
In Arizona,...
Following last week's Pima County Superior Court decision that reinstated a 1864 outright ban on abortion in Arizona, supporters of abortion rights sued in Maricopa Superior Court to overturn the decision.
The new lawsuit, filed by a Phoenix abortion provider and the Arizona Medical Association (ArMA), is asking for an order that says...
On Tuesday, 375 health, tech and telemedical organizations sent a joint letter to leadership of the U.S. Senate requesting action on telehealth legislation prior to the expiration of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE). The letter requests an extension to the telehealth policies enacted at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic that...
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) are signaling that the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) is near.
Last week, CMS published a blog post called "Creating a Roadmap for the End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency," to help providers prepare for the end of the waivers and flexibilities that arrived...
Medicare Advantage prior authorization reform has strong support as legislation passed through the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee last Wednesday with unanimous support.
Representative Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), who introduced the Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act, said the committee vote sets the stage for a floor vote...National News
Amazon has announced plans to buy One Medical, a primary care provider, in a move that illuminates the tech distribution giant's goals for the medical industry. One Medical is a membership-based practice that offers virtual services and currently covers 767,000 members. The deal is reportedly worth $4 billion.
In 2018, Amazon acquired...
The proposed rule is a biggie at over 2,000 pages and made news by cutting Medicare physicians' pay by decreasing the conversion factor to $33.08, a decrease of $1.53. The proposal provides telehealth extensions and broadens access to mental health and substance abuse care as well as dental services and colon cancer screening. CMS is...
Community health centers played a central role in coordinating care and economic support to disadvantaged communities during the pandemic, according to a report filed last Friday by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF). The KFF Report noted that community health centers are experiencing substantial ramifications from the ongoing healthcare...
As fallout continues from the leaked Supreme Court (SCOTUS) opinion on Dodd v. Jackson Women's Health, in which it appears that the court plans to overturn Roe v. Wade (1974), policymakers and industry stakeholders are lining up to support for reproductive healthcare.
The American Medical Association released a statement on the leaked...
As the COVID-19-related public health emergency (PHE) winds down, concerns are being raised that the structures of support provided to the public during the crisis will have a negative impact on beneficiaries when the PHE comes to a close.
These include Medicaid enrollees, who have not been reviewed for qualification by state Medicaid...
On Tuesday, March 15, President Joe Biden signed a $1.5 trillion spending bill that included a number of health-related provisions. This includes financial assistance for a biomedical research agency, an extension of Medicare telehealth waivers and funding to address concerns regarding maternal mortality.
Notably, House Speaker...
While discourse over the rules and regulations of virtual healthcare persist, some of the nation’s top doctors and providers are joining the telehealth revolution, indicating that, though the virtual healthcare delivery method rose to prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is likely here to stay. On March 8, Congress moved to...