Extensions of telehealth access options

The Federal government took a range of steps to expedite the adoption and awareness of telehealth. Some of the telehealth flexibilities have been made permanent while others are temporary. Telehealth policies allow:

• Medicare patients can receive telehealth services for non-behavioral/mental health care in their home through September 30, 2025.
• There are no geographic restrictions for originating site for Medicare non-behavioral/mental telehealth services through September 30, 2025.
• Telehealth services can be provided by all eligible Medicare providers through September 30, 2025.
• Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) can serve as Medicare distant site providers for non-behavioral/mental telehealth services through September 30, 2025. For an encounter furnished using interactive, real-time, audio and video telecommunications technology or for certain audio-only interactions in cases where the patient is not capable of, or does not consent to, the use of video technology services, payment to RHCs and FQHCs are subject to the national average payment rates for comparable services under the physician fee schedule (PFS) through December 31, 2025.
• An in-person visit within six months of an initial Medicare behavioral/mental telehealth service, and annually thereafter, is not required through September 30, 2025. For FQHCs and RHCs, the in-person visit requirement for mental health services furnished via communication technology to beneficiaries in their homes is not required until January 1, 2026.
• Non-behavioral/mental telehealth services in Medicare can be delivered using audio-only communication platforms through September 30, 2025. Interactive telecommunications system may also permanently include two-way, real-time audio-only communication technology for any telehealth service furnished to a patient in their home if the distant site physician or practitioner is technically capable of using an interactive telecommunications system, but the patient is not capable of, or does not consent to, the use of video technology.