Society Advocates to Immediately Lift Nursing Facility Restrictions on Telehealth Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic Congress and the administration took action to expand the use of telehealth to help mitigate the spread of the virus. In a press release on March 9, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) led with the following headline: Telehealth Benefits in Medicare are a Lifeline for Patients During Coronavirus Outbreak. Congress also authorized nearly $500 million in its $8 billion package to expand the use of telehealth in health care. However, neither of these two actions lifted the ongoing restriction on the use of telehealth services in skilled nursing facilities to once a month. In an email exchange with CMS officials, the Society was able to confirm that neither the legislation, nor the administration’s  action addressed the ongoing limitation that nursing facility subsequent care codes (CPT codes 99307-99310) that appear on the telehealth list be used once a month.

The Society has advocated for the last several years that this restriction impedes the use of an important service that could help prevent rehospitalizations and improve patient care. In multiple letters written to the administration on the issue, the Society argued that this limitation stifles innovation and gets in between the clinician-patient relationship, stating, “rather than using an arbitrary limitation on visits, CMS should allow for the use of these services when they are medically necessary and regardless of geographic location, as is the case for face-to-face visits in the nursing home setting.” The Society has also passed policy on this issue.

The Society continues to urge CMS to immediately rescind this policy amid the COVID-19 pandemic and allow clinicians to take care of patients while mitigating the spread of the virus. Many clinicians travel to multiple facilities to take care of patients; the use of telehealth can significantly reduce the threat of exposure and allows for faster screening and decision-making between clinicians and the facilities they serve.

The Society has developed a resource page to help members with issues around using and billing for telehealth in PALTC. Please visit the page to learn more.

If you have been impacted by this limitation, please contact the Society’s Public Policy Department with your story.