Face-to-Face Encounter Requirements Go into Enforcement; Rules Likely to Delay Needed Care, Force Patients into Higher-Cost Settings

This is a sad day for millions of homebound and chronically ill older Americans and their loved ones. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has put into force regulations that originally were slated to take effect on Jan. 1, 2011. The new regulations, which were delayed due to serious concerns about physicians’ readiness…