Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill appear to have come to agreement on a temporary year-end continuing quality that will include significant extensions to telehealth and at-home treatment after months and months of extremely outspoken and passionate lobbying efforts. This week is expected to be the time for a vote on the appropriations costs, which includes several Medicare and Medicaid provisions that have long been sought-after by care and wellness IT organizations. Among the telemedicine and isolated individual monitoring provisions in the CR:
A two-year modification of Medicare healthcare flexibilities
A five-year expansion of Acute Hospital Care at Home program
A two-year modification that allows high deductible health plans to cover telehealth for the first-dollar price.
Additionally, the costs includes provisions for the SPEAK Act, which requires HHS to produce best practices for improving healthcare services for non-English speakers, as well as allowances for cardiac rehabilitation services that can be performed via telemedicine at Medicare beneficiaries ‘ homes for the next two years. A five-year extension allowing online participation in the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program, and other provisions. Business organizations are happy about the draft policy, not least the American Telemedicine Association, which cheered the “big win” for online treatment in the act. The proposed legislation’s extensions have a very significant impact on many Americans, giving them the confidence and clarity they need to continue providing needed telehealth services, according to Kyle Zebley, senior director of ATA Action. This has taken years to develop, and we must make sure these modifications are preserved as they go to the Congress’s two chambers for a vote before passing them to President Biden for signature,” he continued. This is shaping up to be a traditional year for improving telemedicine and putting us on the verge of a modified healthcare system. The American Hospital Association, Stacey Hughes, senior VP of the American Hospital Association, stated in a statement that the policy contains a number of crucial policies that the AHA highly supported. These include preventing cuts to Medicaid’s overwhelming share medical payments, reducing cuts to physicians, and expanding Medicare programs that increase access to rural health care. ” Importantly, the bill also extends telehealth and hospital-at-home programs that expand access to care”, she said. The AHA applauds the House and Senate’s efforts to pass this bipartisan health care package, which will allow hospitals and health systems to continue providing for their patients and their communities. We applaud congressional negotiators for the promising language in their developing year-end spending package, which would prevent severe cuts to Medicaid support for essential hospitals, expand telehealth flexibility and the hospital-at-home program, and take other steps to improve safety net care, said Dr. Bruce Siegel, president and CEO of America’s Essential Hospitals. The writer is Mike Miliard, the executive editor of Healthcare IT News. miliard@himssmedia.com Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS publication.