Partnership to Advance Virtual Care

The Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology (ONC) released the Health Data, Technology, and Interoperability: Patient Engagement, Information Sharing, and Public Health Interoperability (HTI-2) proposed rule, which includes policies impacting patient engagement, IT certification and information blocking (a practice that interferes with access of electronic health information). Public comments are due 60 days after the proposed rule’s publication in the Federal Register. Read the proposed rule in full here: https://lnkd.in/g8qta33q Read a fact sheet on the proposed rule here: https://lnkd.in/d6-E7-sX And a press release and additional issue-specific fact sheets are available here: https://lnkd.in/g_qDAncS

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released the Calendar Year (CY) 2025 Revisions to Payment Policies Under the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) and Other Revisions to Medicare Part B [CMS-1807-P] Proposed Rule, which includes proposals related to Medicare physician payment and the Quality Payment Program (QPP). Most significant to telehealth, CMS did not value the new evaluation and management (E/M) codes and continued to highlight the need for congressional action to extend the PHE Medicare flexibilities. The agency does add several codes to the provisional and permanent Medicare Telehealth Services List, but declined to move any codes already on the provisional list to the permanent list. CMS will be doing a comprehensive review of the provisional codes, although declined to provide any detail or timeline for this analysis. CMS also is proposing to broaden the definition of “interactive telecommunications” to include audio-only for any telehealth services. It is currently mental health only. However, even if they move forward with these policies, extending the Medicare telehealth flexibilities is essential to allow providers to bill for these services. The full text of the proposed rule is available here: https://lnkd.in/eGXgUWWc, and telehealth policies begin on page 14. Comments on the proposed rule are due on September 9, 2024. #telehealth #virtualcare #healthcarepolicy #CMS #PFS

In a study published in JAMA Network Open on Tuesday, Included Health and Harvard Medical School found that patients in high deductible health plans are less likely to seek virtual behavioral healthcare when costs are re-introduced. The study analyzed telemental healthcare utilization of 15,000 patients in high deductible health plans (HDHPs) when the services were completely covered versus requiring out-of-pocket costs. The study shows the possible impact of letting the Telehealth Safe Harbor policy lapse at the end of the year and demonstrates why Congress must pass the Telehealth Expansion Act (HR 1843/S 1001) as soon as possible. Read Fierce Healthcare's coverage of the study below. You can also read the full study here: https://lnkd.in/eqRAVk6q. and download PAVC's infographic about extending the Telehealth Safe Harbor here: https://lnkd.in/dvCf2NSA

Almost 8 weeks have passed since the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee unanimously approved a bill that would extend certain #Medicare #telehealth flexibilities through 2026, yet we haven’t seen any further movement. With current flexibilities set to expire on December 31, 2024, time is running out to ensure Medicare beneficiaries do not lose access to virtual care services, which have become essential to our national healthcare system. We urge Congress to act now to keep momentum on an extension moving forward. 

Earlier this week, PAVC was one of 130 signers who submitted a letter asking Congressional Appropriators to include $14 million for the Telehealth Resource Centers program at the Health Resources and Services Administration in the FY 2025 Labor-HHS Appropriations bill. Read the full letter here: https://lnkd.in/eqzRVtih.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has released a presentation providing insight into its considerations around assessing the budgetary effects of extending #Medicare #telehealth flexibilities. The presentation includes insights into CBO’s processes and key considerations and a series of questions about information that would be useful to CBO as it estimates the effects of potential changes to Medicare’s coverage of telehealth. We appreciate this glimpse into CBO’s thought process as it weighs this important issue and considers future analyses. PAVC will be responding to the questions posed on slides 10 and 11, and we would love to collaborate with other stakeholders to ensure we include an array of voices and data. Please reach out if you would like to contribute your perspective and coordinate with us! https://lnkd.in/gUtMQWFW

Congress must pass the Telehealth Expansion Act (HR 1843/S 1001) to extend the Telehealth Safe Harbor for those with Health Savings Account (HSA)-eligible High Deductible Health Plans (HDHPs). The Telehealth Safe Harbor policy ensures millions of Americans with employment-based health coverage can access vital telehealth services without having to first meet their deductibles. Without Congressional action, this policy will end on December 31, threatening healthcare access for millions of Americans who receive their health coverage through HSA-eligible HDHPs. To help us spread the word, please share our new infographic: https://lnkd.in/dvCf2NSA #telehealth #healthcarepolicy #TelehealthExpansionAct

This article from MedCity News amplifies our urgent message that Congress needs to act now to extend Medicare #telehealth flexibilities, currently set to expire at the end of the year. The article includes quotes from PAVC's Rachel Stauffer, PAVC member Transcarent, and features data provided by PAVC and McDermott+. https://lnkd.in/g3TYeRnz

A recent study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that the utilization of telehealth for cancer care decreased greenhouse gas emissions. In a cohort of 123,890 patients seen over 1.6 million visit days, a telemedicine preferred–care model reduced per–visit day emissions by 81.3% compared to an in-person–preferred care model. https://lnkd.in/eckUZHGC #telehealth #virtualcare

Yesterday, the House Energy & Commerce Committee held a full committee bill markup that included two telehealth bills, the Telehealth Enhancement for Mental Health Act (H.R. 7858), which establishes incident-to modifier requirements for certain telehealth services, and the SPEAK Act (H.R. 6033), which establishes a task force to improve access to health IT for non-English speakers. The committee advanced all bills unanimously. The markup did not include a larger bill to extend Medicare telehealth flexibilities, but during the session lawmakers on both sides of the aisle expressed optimism about continuing to work together to advance the effort (which was passed by the Health Subcommittee last month), potentially before the upcoming August recess. #telehealth #virtualcare #healthcarepolicy