News Archive

A recent state-by-state survey of internet access has found that Montana has the worst internet service in the nation with data transmission speeds only slightly better than half the national average.

Almost 80 percent of people who used telehealth during COVID-19 reported patient satisfaction, and over 70 percent expect to access virtual care post-pandemic, according to a new survey from the COVID-19 Healthcare Coalition.

The 20-question survey from the American Medical Association, American Telemedicine Association, Change Healthcare, and other healthcare stakeholders collected virtual care perceptions of more than 2,000 patients across the country.

Notably, over 80 percent of respondents (83 percent) reported good overall visit quality, and 78 percent said they felt their health concern could be addressed via telehealth. These findings were consistent across age, insurance type, and urban/rural status.

On December 27, 2020, Congress enacted the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Consolidated Appropriations Act), providing an additional $249.95 million to the Commission to support Round 2 of the COVID-19 Telehealth Program (Program). The Program was established in April 2020 to administer an initial $200 million in funding appropriated by Congress in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act “to support efforts of health care providers to address coronavirus by providing telecommunications services, information services, and devices necessary to enable the provision of telehealth services” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Federal officials are making $12 million available for three projects that aim to approve maternal and obstetrics care for underserved populations in rural America, and they expect telehealth to be part of the program.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity from the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA’s) Federal Office of Rural Health Policy comes as federal officials kick off Black Maternal Health Week. The HRSA’s Rural Maternity and Obstetrics Management Strategies (RMOMS) program, which will offer the three award recipients grants of up to $1 million annually for four years, aims to boost outcomes in rural and underserved population by testing new models of connected care.

CMS has added a number of CPT codes to the list of audiology and speech-language pathology services provided by telehealth that will be covered by Medicare during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) published recommendations to Congress on March 15th to continue some Medicare COVID-19 telehealth coverage expansions only temporarily to allow more time for study before making any policies permanent. Devoting the final chapter of its report to telehealth, MedPAC advises that Medicare continue for a “limited duration (e.g. one to two years)” covering telehealth services regardless of patient location, including beneficiaries at home, as well as the over 140 telehealth services that were temporarily added to the Physician Fee Schedule, such as emergency department visits. MedPAC also recommends maintaining the allowance of audio-only interactions based on clinical assessment and potential for clinical benefit, for instance audio-only evaluation and management visits with established patients.