For my Medicare patients currently being seen through Telehealth. we can breath another sigh of relief because right now The Center for Medicaid and Medicare Service (CMS) has made it “permanent.” The “audio only” visits have been eliminated but for now two way audio and video are being maintained.
“For behavioral or mental telehealth, all patients can continue to get telehealth wherever they’re
located, with no originating site requirements or geographic location restrictions. The patient’s home
is a permissible originating site for services provided for diagnosing, evaluating, or treating:
● Mental health disorders
● Substance abuse disorder”
This is great news for my medicare patients who are able to continue to have visits in the safety and comfort of their own home. Many of my older patients are immunocompromised and or have difficulty ambulating so this allows me to continue their care.
I am a Telehealth provider in Maine and Florida and I will continue to be able to provide uninterrupted care to my most vulnerable patients.
Medicare Advantage Plans Unaffected?
So far it seems Medicare Advantage plans will remain in effect as well. So far I have only been in contact with one plan, because I am an in Network provider they will continue to provide the benefit for my patient. I will conitnue to provide updates as they become available.