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.
