DEA, HHS Jointly Issue 3rd Temporary Extension of Telemedicine Prescribing Flexibilities

On November 15, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) jointly with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issued a rule, titled ‘Third Temporary Extension of COVID-19 Telemedicine Flexibilities for Prescription of Controlled Medications’. This Third Temporary Rule extends the telemedicine flexibilities that have been in effect since March 2020 for the prescribing of […]

Home Health Telehealth Survey

Ten months ago, the National Alliance for Care at Home (then NAHC) and the University of California forged a partnership to investigate the intricate world of technology adoption by home health agencies. Many of you joined us in this partnership and participated in its most important component – a survey that went out to over […]

Home Health Telehealth Services During an Inpatient Stay

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ( CMS) has issued Change Request (CR) 13815  that revises Medicare claims editing to allow non-paid telehealth visits to be reported while a beneficiary is hospitalized. Medicare beneficiaries cannot be inpatients in a hospital or skilled nursing facility and receive home health care simultaneously. If a home health […]

New Draft Legislation Would Make Big Changes to Hospice Program

Earlier today, June 13, Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) released a discussion draft of legislation that would make significant changes to the Medicare hospice program. The Congressman will be seeking feedback from stakeholders over the coming weeks. The draft contains primarily a mix of program integrity and payment changes, with a few other provisions related to […]

Maryland Encouraged Home Health Agencies to Adopt Telehealth During the Pandemic and Beyond

Maryland home health agencies responded rapidly to the COVID-19 pandemic by implementing telehealth at a much faster rate than agencies in other parts of the country. The Maryland Health Care Commission reported that in January 2020, 25 percent of home health agencies in the state used telehealth. By May, less than half a year later […]

NAHC Advocacy Scores Wins in Congress

Last week was a good week for providers of care at home. Tireless advocacy by the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) and our partners at the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, has resulted in the approval of the Preserving Telehealth, Hospital, and Ambulance Access Act (H.R. 8261) through the Ways & Means Committee […]

Providers push lawmakers to make telehealth provisions permanent

CMS Releases Updated Medicaid Telehealth Toolkit

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 […]

NAHC partners with the University of California on Home Health Tech

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 […]

Innovation in Home-Based Technology

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, […]

HHS Provides Telehealth, Info Security for Providers & Patients

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 […]

DEA Extends COVID-19 Teleprescribing Flexibilities through December 2024

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, […]