Experts: Congress Must Build on Telehealth Executive Order

Recent events indicate the telehealth boom caused by the COVID-19 pandemic will result in a permanent expansion of virtual care. On Aug. 3, the Trump administration issued an executive order directing HHS to make permanent some of the telehealth regulations it relaxed for Medicare beneficiaries during the public health emergency. Plus, a newly unveiled deal would marry two major telehealth players. However, experts say Congress must act to make expanded telehealth offerings permanent and sustainable, which is unlikely to happen until after the election.

The executive order directs officials to issue proposed regulations that will lock in some of the changes in telehealth policy that the Trump administration included as part of pandemic relief. In response to the order, CMS on Aug. 3 proposed a rule that would permanently allow Medicare to reimburse for certain services that are furnished virtually, “including home visits for the evaluation and management of a patient (in the case where the law allows telehealth services in the patient’s home), and certain types of visits for patients with cognitive impairments.”

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