Anesthesia Business Consultants outlined key takeaways from CMS' rule changes on telehealth in 2021 in a Dec. 30 blog post.
Four takeaways:
1. Seven services were added as category 1 services: group psychotherapy; psychological and neuropsychological testing; domiciliary, rest home or custodial care services, established patients; home visits, established patient; cognitive assessment and care planning services; visit complexity inherent to certain office/outpatient evaluation and management; and prolonged services.
2. The final rule extended Medicare coverage for telehealth services during the pandemic through Dec. 31 of the year when the public health emergency ends.
3. CMS reiterated that telehealth rules don't apply when the patient and practitioner are in the same physical location.
4. CMS is establishing payment on an interim final basis for audio-only telephone services.
Read more here.