Permanent Telehealth Expansion Gains Support
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic led to emergency temporary flexibilities granted for telehealth services which included traditional fee-for-service reimbursement, relaxation of allowable platforms to be utilized, and the suspension of originating sites and geographic requirements. These temporary expansions are scheduled to expire with the public health emergency (PHE). While discussions of permanent telehealth expansion reveal bipartisan support, legislators are having difficulty finding common ground on establishing which telehealth services should remain after the PHE has expired. While there appears to be disagreement in the cost increased telehealth services could burden the system with, there seems to be overall support for the continuation of audio-only telehealth services. There is also agreement on re-establishing stricter HIPPA restrictions for allowable platforms that telehealth services could be performed on. Overall, there is increasing support for the permanent expansion for telehealth services however, it is uncertain if legislators will make headway on the issue in the near future.
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