Due to Congressional inaction, Medicare telehealth flexibilities expired on Wednesday, October 1. This will have an immediate impact on all Medicare patients and providers utilizing telehealth services.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Medicare waived certain requirements it had in place for telehealth services. Due to the overwhelmingly positive results of those flexibilities, Congress continued to extend them.
However, because the extension of these flexibilities was tied to government funding negotiations, the government shutdown means that the following flexibilities have expired:
Originating Site Waiver: This allowed patients to utilize telehealth in their homes. Without it, Medicare requires telehealth appointments to be conducted in a medical facility such as a physician’s office, hospital, or rural health clinic.
Geographic Site Waiver: This allowed patients in all areas of the country to utilize telehealth services. Without it, Medicare will only cover telehealth services for patients in rural areas.
More Approved Telehealth Providers: This allowed many nonphysician providers to use telehealth. This included audiologists and speech-language pathologists. Without it, those providers are not authorized to use telehealth for Medicare patients.
Audio-Only Communication: This allowed patients and providers to conduct telehealth visits using audio-only devices, when video was unavailable. Without it, Medicare requires a two-way, audio-visual system for all telehealth appointments.
What Should Physicians Do Right Now?
As of Wednesday, October 1, if you utilized any of the flexibilities above, you should presume you will not be reimbursed for these services moving forward. In the short term, you should:
- Review all currently scheduled telehealth appointments with your Medicare patients
- Actively communicate the situation with them
- Decide the best course of action for each patient
It is unclear when the shutdown will end and the flexibilities will return.
What Can You Do to Help?
Make your voice heard! The Academy encourages all members to take part in our action alert. Tell Congress that they need to bring these flexibilities back. Patient care is at stake.
→ Urge Your Legislators to Protect Telehealth for Medicare Patients
The Academy continues to advocate for permanent telehealth reform and will keep members informed of the latest developments.
