CMS Releases Updated Medicaid Telehealth Toolkit

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On Thursday, February 8, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released an updated version of the Medicaid and CHIP Telehealth Toolkit. The toolkit is a comprehensive piece of subregulatory guidance that clearly articulates the policies associated with delivering Medicaid services via telehealth. In the toolkit, CMS espouses broad flexibility and authority for states […]

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NAHC partners with the University of California on Home Health Tech

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The landscape of home health care is marked by challenges – from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) exerting downward pressure on Medicare payment rates to states doing the same with Medicaid rates. Simultaneously, labor shortages are driving wages upward, presenting a daily struggle for many agencies in the home health industry. As […]

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Innovation in Home-Based Technology

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Care-at-Home providers have been early innovators, utilizing technology in homes since the early 90’s. The pandemic impacted the use of telehealth, in some cases resulting in new, non-homecare providers deploying telehealth and bypassing our providers.  What is the current state of innovation and adoption considering these changes?  The next generation of care-at-home innovators have stepped forward, […]

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HHS Provides Telehealth, Info Security for Providers & Patients

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On Thursday, October 18, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), issued two resource documents to help explain to patients the privacy and security risks to their protected health information (PHI) when using telehealth services and ways to reduce these risks. The first resource is for […]

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DEA Extends COVID-19 Teleprescribing Flexibilities through December 2024

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The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on October 6, 2023 issued a temporary rule extending COVID-19 telemedicine flexibilities for prescribing of controlled medications through December 31, 2024, which is the current date for expiration of other telemedicine-related flexibilities. Prior to issuance of this temporary rule those flexibilities would have expired for new patients on November 11, […]

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OIG: Home Health Agencies Did Not Use Telehealth Early in the COVID-19 Pandemic

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A new report from the U.S Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (OIG) found that home health agencies (HHAs) rarely furnished services via telehealth early in the COVID-19 public health emergency. For the few claims in the OIG sample with services furnished via telehealth, HHAs did not fully comply with Medicare […]

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The DEA Relaxed Online Prescribing Rules During Covid. Now It Wants to Rein Them In.

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Arielle Zionts June 27, 2023 Federal regulators want most patients to see a health care provider in person before receiving prescriptions for potentially addictive medicines through telehealth — something that hasn’t been required in more than three years. During the covid-19 public health emergency, the Drug Enforcement Administration allowed doctors and other health care providers […]

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NEW: DEA Temporarily Extends Flexibilities for Telehealth Prescribing

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Yesterday, May 9, 2023, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) issued a temporary rule that extends telemedicine flexibilities regarding prescription of controlled medications.  The goal of the rule is to ensure a smooth transition for patients and practitioners that have come to rely on the availability […]

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Update on DEA Proposed Rule on Telemedicine Prescribing

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In late February 2023 (see NAHC Report), the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) proposed a rule intended to govern the prescribing of controlled substances via telemedicine for application at the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE). The proposed rule focuses on prescribing of a controlled substance via telemedicine consultation by a medical practitioner when no in-person […]

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Preparing For the End of the COVID-19 PHE

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The COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) which began in early 2020 will come to an end on May 11, 2023.  Throughout the PHE various waivers, regulations, enforcement discretion, and sub-regulatory guidance were utilized to ensure access to care and give health care providers the flexibilities needed to respond to the PHE. Some of these flexibilities […]

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DEA Proposes Rules to Govern Post-PHE Prescribing of Controlled Substances via “Telehealth”

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On Friday, February 24, 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) released proposed rules intended to govern the prescribing of controlled substances via telemedicine for application at the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE).  The proposed rule — — Telemedicine Prescribing of Controlled Substances When the Practitioner and the Patient Have Not Had a […]

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