MGMA to Congress: Expand Medicare telehealth beyond COVID-19 pandemic

Originally published in the August 6, 2020 issue of MGMA’s Washington Connection. Reprinted with permission from MGMA.

MGMA joined over 200 organizations in support of the Protecting Access to Post-COVID-19 Telehealth Act of 2020. If signed into law, this legislation would remove geographic restrictions on where a patient must be located to utilize telehealth services, enable patients to receive telehealth services in their homes, allow federally qualified health centers and rural health centers to furnish telehealth, and give the Secretary of Health & Human Services (HHS) permanent waiver authority for future emergency periods and for 90 days past the expiration of the current public health emergency. Absent congressional action, the ability for patients to utilize telehealth in nonrural settings and in their homes is only in effect during the public health emergency. MGMA urges Congress to act before the public health emergency ends to avoid a scenario where providers are abruptly unable to treat most Medicare beneficiaries via telehealth.