Staying Connected: An Update on Medicare Reimbursement for Telehealth Services After the PHE

Posted In Telehealth

In hopes that the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) will soon end, Congress and the administration are evaluating the telehealth expansions and flexibilities put in place to respond to the PHE. As a result, the future for telehealth stakeholders remains uncertain. This article outlines various changes in Medicare telehealth reimbursement policy in effect during the PHE and identifies what actions would be required to make these changes permanent.

Since the implementation of the PHE, there has been a significant uptick in the provision of telehealth services by Medicare, other public payers and commercial payers. In response to this increased utilization and outreach by stakeholders, Congress has actively explored ways to make some, or all, of the PHE flexibilities permanent.

During the PHE, telehealth providers have been able to receive reimbursement for a greater variety of telehealth services, leverage more types of healthcare providers, and treat patients in more locations than ever before. Telehealth providers have been energized by these changes and are voicing resistance to the prospect of losing these new reimbursement opportunities post-PHE.

The pathways to making telehealth flexibilities permanent, however, are neither simple nor clear. Reimbursement for telehealth services is governed by complex statutory, regulatory and subregulatory requirements at the state and federal level. At the federal level, the PHE-driven changes have come via both federal legislation and regulatory modifications. This article describes what steps would be necessary to make federal telehealth reimbursement policy changes permanent as the healthcare system recovers and rebuilds from the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Amanda Enyeart
  Amanda Enyeart maintains a general health industry and regulatory practice, focusing on fraud and abuse, information technology and digital health matters. Amanda advises health care industry clients in all aspects of software licenses and other agreements for the acquisition electronic health record (EHR) systems and other mission critical health IT.  Amanda’s health care IT transactional experience also includes advising clients with respect to software development, maintenance, service and outsourced hosting arrangements, including cloud-computing transactions. Read Amanda Enyeart's full bio.


Dawn R. Helak
Dawn R. Helak provides counseling and advice to hospitals and health systems, academic medical centers (AMCs), private equity firms and their portfolio companies, post/sub-acute providers, trade associations and coalitions, physician practices, and other public and private health care companies in a variety of complex transactions and health regulatory compliance matters. Read Dawn Helak's full bio.


Marshall E. Jackson, Jr.
Marshall E. Jackson, Jr. focuses his practice on transactional and regulatory counseling for clients in the health care industry, as well as advises clients on the legal, regulatory and compliance aspects of digital health. Marshall provides counseling and advice to hospitals and health systems, private equity firms and their portfolio companies, post/sub-acute providers, physician practices, and other public and private health care companies in a variety of complex transactions and health regulatory compliance matters. Read Marshall Jackson's full bio.


Lisa Mazur
Lisa Mazur advises health care providers and technology companies on a variety of legal, regulatory and compliance matters with a particular focus on digital health topics, including telehealth, telemedicine, mobile health and consumer wellness. Lisa advises a variety of health care providers and technology companies involved in “digital health,” including assisting clients in developing and implementing telemedicine programs by advising on issues related to professional licensure, scope of practice, informed consent, prescribing and reimbursement. Lisa helps clients identify and understand the relevant legal issues, and develop and implement practical, forward-thinking solutions and strategies that meet the complex and still-evolving digital health regulatory landscape.  Read Lisa Mazur's full bio.


Dale C. Van Demark
  Dale C. Van Demark advises clients in the health industry on strategic transactions and the evolution of health care delivery models. He has extensive experience in health system affiliations and joint venture transactions. Dale also provides counseling on the development of technology in health care delivery, with a particular emphasis on telemedicine. Dale has been at the forefront of advising clients with respect to the globalization of the US health care industry. He advises US and non-US enterprises with respect to the formation of cross-border affiliations and international patient programs. In addition to writing regularly on matters related to his practice, Dale has spoken at numerous conferences around the world on the globalization of health care. Read Dale Van Demark's full bio.


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