New Legislation Proposed for Telehealth

Associated Billing Center, LLC Exclusively Serving Mental Health Practices
Mona Ruback, CSS CEO/Associated Billing Center, LLC
* T e l e h e a l t h U p d a t e *
New Legislation Proposed for Telehealth
The Protecting Access to Post-Covid-19 Telehealth Act of 2021 was introduced by a group of bipartisan lawmakers recently to permanently expand many of the temporary telehealth expansions permitted during the Public Health Emergency. The highlights include:
>Allows a person’s residence as an originating site for all eligible telehealth services starting January 1, 2022.
>Grants the Department of Health & Human Services permanent disaster waiver authority to expand telehealth.
>Permanently authorizes CMS to reimburse for telehealth for 90 days after the PHE is rescinded.
>Requires Health & Human Services to conduct a comprehensive study on telehealth utilization, costs, and geographic disparities.
Congressional lawmakers could also take action on interstate licensing regulations with two bills designed to make it easier for providers to deliver care across state lines during the pandemic with some debate in existence concerning making this change permanent.
A Reminder
Mental Health providers are reminded that once the PHE ends, Medicare will no longer reimburse providers for furnishing services via audio-only devices. After the end of the Public Health Emergency, only devices that have both audio and video transmission capabilities will be eligible for reimbursement under Telehealth.
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