Telemedicine

New CMS proposal suggests reimbursement for virtual care

The agency's proposed updates note that CMS would pay physicians for virtual check-ins with patients and evaluations of patient-submitted pictures. Additionally, the changes would expand reimbursement opportunities for prolonged preventive services provided via telehealth.

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While MedCity was busy with its CONVERGE conference in Philadelphia last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released some big news. The agency’s proposed 2019 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and Quality Payment Program changes make suggestions related to the future of telemedicine and virtual care.

The proposal means CMS would pay physicians for virtual check-ins with patients and evaluations of patient-submitted pictures. It would also add “prolonged preventive services” to the list of Medicare-covered telehealth services.

“CMS is committed to modernizing the Medicare program by leveraging technologies, such as audio/video applications or patient-facing health portals, that will help beneficiaries access high-quality services in a convenient manner,” CMS Administrator Seema Verma said in a news release.

In addition to its telehealth-related aspects, the proposed updates seek to ease the burden on physicians by offering flexibility in documentation requirements. This, CMS believes, would give providers more time to spend with their patients.

The comment period for the proposed rules ends September 10.

Naturally, the healthcare industry has already reacted to the news.

The American Hospital Association, for instance, was happy with CMS’ goals of reducing the regulatory burden on physicians and with how reimbursement will change the telemedicine game. However, the AHA is disappointed with other aspects of the rules, among them the relocation of existing off-campus outpatient departments and site-neutral payment.

The agency’s announcement comes after telehealth hit its stride last year. In late 2017, CMS released a final rule for the 2018 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. The document outlined how the agency would pay for more telemedicine services. CMS created multiple new codes, which cover instances of lung cancer, health risk assessments, psychotherapy, chronic care management and interactive complexity.

Photo: SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY, Getty Images

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