The COVID-19 pandemic has made telemedicine the way to see and consult with all patients, not just those who have confirmed or suspected cases.
To make telemedicine available to more patients and their physicians during the emergency declaration period, many state and federal rules and regulations regarding telehealth have changed, including:
- Medicaid and Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs) will pay for audio-only telephone consultations;
- State-regulated insurance plans will pay for telemedicine visits;
- Enforcement of HIPAA restrictions have been suspended; and
- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has temporarily eased Medicare telehealth regulations.
If you would like more help understanding the changes and how to utilize telemedicine to care for your patients, the Texas Medical Association has created several tools and resources for you.
Listen to this webinar, Telemedicine During COVID-19, to learn telemedicine terminology and the CMS changes, such as what codes you can bill during this time. It is accredited for 0.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ and 0.5 Ethics.
In addition, TMA’s Practice Viability Toolkit has a wealth of information and resources on telemedicine, including:
- Technology;
- Using telemedicine across state lines;
- Prescribing controlled substances;
- Coding and billing, including coding telehealth visits, virtual check-ins, audio-only evaluation and management services, and place-of-service and modifiers; and
- Educating patients.
You can find more on TMA’s Telemedicine web page, Practice Viability web page, and COVID-19 Resource Center.
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Last Updated On
July 01, 2020
Originally Published On
April 15, 2020