Our Introduction to Telehealth, Technology and Federal Enforcement chapter was published in the Thomson Reuters 2025 Health Law Handbook. It reviewed a number of telehealth Medicare revisions, both permanent and temporary, enacted by a series of consolidated appropriation acts and physician fee schedule amendments arising out of the 2020 COVID pandemic.
The temporary telehealth provisions currently due to expire after December 31, 2024 are:
- Waiver of geographic and originating site requirements
- Coverage of audio only services
- Expansion of the eligible distance site telehealth providers
- Waiver of in-person visit requirements for behavioral telehealth
The Telehealth Modernization Act of 2024 has been introduced to permanently extend the following flexibilities:
- Rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers serving as distant sites
- The home of a beneficiary serving as an originating site
- The authorization of any type of practitioners to furnish telehealth services as determined by CMS
We will keep you advised of developments in that area. In the meantime, please contact Mike Cassidy or Adam Appleberry with questions.