Will Medicare Soon Cover More Telehealth?
You have so much to do, and then you remember that today is your annual wellness appointment with your doctor. The good news is that the visit will be covered by Medicare. The bad news is that you are only covered if you travel across town and see your physician in person. You feel fine, which is good, but you may be wasting over an hour of your day, which is not so good.
Think about how nice it would be to meet with the doctor on a video conference using your computer, tablet, or smartphone. That would mean no unnecessary trips, no waiting rooms, and no sitting alone in an exam room for 10 minutes. You could be more relaxed, and, being in comfortable surroundings, be more thorough in discussing your physical and mental condition.
Telehealth has evolved into a technology that is secure and simple for any health care provider to implement, and even easier for patients to access. It’s affordable to make available, and saves patients money and time. Thus, video conferencing is efficient for wellness visits, follow-up discussions, mental health and substance use treatment, and a long list of other health services.
Medicare covers some telehealth services, right now. Good! The problem is that coverage is very limited and does not take the overall benefits into account. And, not so good. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has recognized the problem and is proposing to increase coverage for telehealth.
The current outline of Medicare telehealth services can be found here.
Digging into the details can get pretty complicated. Basically, you’re covered if you live in a rural area outside of a metropolitan zone, and only for a few services. Coverage is aimed at those who would need to travel a long distance to get treatment, and does not consider that the travel could be just as daunting for those living in metro areas.
Earlier this month, Modernhealthcare.com posted an analysis of the proposed telehealth changes in Medicare. You need to subscribe to read the entire article, but it’s well worth it.
It’s great that CMS is proposing to increase Medicare coverage for telehealth. Hopefully, they’ll take the proposed changes and expand on them by November for the coming calendar year. More access to telehealth services will be a benefit to both providers and patients.