US health agency to expand payments for telehealth services
The US federal health agency is increasing the amount of telehealth services it pays for. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which provides access to healthcare for elderly and low-income Americans, has included the expanded services in its updated schedule of fees payable to medical staff. The change will provide better access to care for people in rural areas, according to the CMS. The news has been welcomed by representatives of the connected health technology industry, who said previous rules provided disincentives for doctors to use such new technologies.

On Thursday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released a final rule for the 2018 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule.

The lengthy (as in 1,653-page) document outlines numerous changes. For one, it increases physician payment rates by 0.41 percent for 2018 compared to this year.

But a less frequently highlighted part of the rule is what it does for telemedicine.

CMS will be paying for more telehealth services. The agency created multiple new codes, which cover instances around lung cancer, health risk assessments, psychotherapy, chronic care management and interactive complexity.

As a press release notes:

To strengthen access to care, especially for those living in rural areas, CMS is transforming access to Medicare telehealth services by paying for more services and making it easier for providers to bill for these services. Improving access to telehealth services reflects CMS’ work to modernize Medicare payments to promote patient-centered innovations.

Additionally, CMS said it is finalizing separate 2018 payment for CPT code 99091, which details certain remote patient monitoring.

Some, including Connected Health Initiative Executive Director Morgan Reed, were pleased with the changes. He praised CMS’ efforts regarding enabling doctors to utilize remote patient monitoring tools. In a statement, Reed noted:

These new rules are an important step forward for America’s connected health innovators, doctors, and most importantly patients. Until now, connected health technologies have been effectively locked out of the most important part of America’s healthcare system, Medicare and Medicaid. Previous CMS rules created serious disincentives for doctors to consider new technologies. Together with our advisory board, CHI pushed for newly enacted rules that finally level the playing field for innovators, giving doctors and patients the chance to take advantage of the best technologies available.

Others, such as American Hospital Association Executive Vice President Tom Nickels, weren’t quite as excited. He stated:

We are also supportive of the agency’s policies to make payment for new telehealth services, although we urge a more expansive approach toward telehealth coverage.

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