Fast Break: Telehealth and Medicare's New Virtual Check-In

Over the summer, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced plans to reimburse for services provided through “communication technology.” While not officially “telemedicine,” CMS’s proposal for virtual check-ins is likely to revolutionize how Medicare providers do business. If anything, it signals the growing acceptance of telehealth services in the Medicare population. In this edition of Fast Break, we will explore the contours of the proposed rule as well as where CMS may go from here.

Topics will include:

• Medicare’s past coverage of telehealth services 
•  Virtual check-ins 
• Other permitted services in the 2019 Physician
• Fee Schedule Proposed Rule 
• Unknown details and outstanding questions 
• Pending telehealth legislation