In a nod to another way that health care is changing due to the Covid-19 pandemic, C-TAC continues to support legislation that will enable Medicare beneficiaries to use telehealth services after the pandemic emergency has ended.
Introduced by Representatives Liz Cheney (R-WY) and Debbie Dingell (D-MI), H.R.4040 – Advancing Telehealth Beyond COVID–19 Act of 2022 – passed the U.S. House of Representatives on July 27, 2022. The bill would extend the telehealth flexibilities through 2024. Senate passage looks probable once members of Congress return to Washington DC following their August recess.
The bill would eliminate geographical restrictions on Medicare coverage for telehealth services, allowing providers to care for patients in, for example, their homes. During the pandemic, this flexibility allowed for advance care planning (ACP) discussions between patients, caregivers, and health care providers when in-person meetings were too risky and the course of the covid illness could prove very rapid and uncertain. Continuing to allow reimbursable virtual ACP conversations for Medicare beneficiaries will help to establish a baseline for data on the frequency and utility of telehealth and ACP. During the pandemic and beyond, C-TAC has supported permanently removing the geographic originating site requirement for Medicare Advance Care Planning services delivered via telehealth (CPT codes 99497 & 99498) and permanently allowing for Medicare reimbursement and coverage of Medicare ACP services delivered via audio-only telehealth (i.e., via traditional phone).
Another element of the bill would allow for audio-only telehealth (i.e., use of landline telephone without video capability) in certain circumstances. Data shows that individuals who are older, low-income, and from communities of color have limited access to video-enabled technology. Allowing for audio-only ACP conversations will help ensure that health equity considerations are addressed.
Finally, the legislation would also extend the use of telehealth for hospice recertification for a third benefit period and subsequent benefit periods. This would temporarily waive the face-to-face encounter requirement. Hospice patients must be recertified for each subsequent hospice benefit period after initial certification that supports the patient’s life expectancy of six months or less. Without this legislation, the telehealth flexibilities for hospice are set to expire 151 days post-Public Health Emergency.
Here is the press release from Rep. Liz Cheney for the introduction of the original bill.
