ATA has submitted the following recommendations to both HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner:
1. HHS and CMS should waive the Medicare restrictions on telehealth in section 1834(m) of the Social Security Act for accountable care organizations and Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation payment models for bundled acute-care and medical homes.
2. The agencies should also waive section 1895(e)(1) for these alternative payment methods to allow home telehealth and remote monitoring for homebound Medicare beneficiaries.
“Due to current restrictions outlined in the telehealth provisions of the Medicare statute 1835(m), providers cannot take advantage of the full capabilities of telemedicine and telehealth due to unnecessary limitations,” said Jonathan Linkous, CEO of ATA, in a news release. “The current language creates artificial barriers to care including patient location restrictions, communications technology restrictions and it also defines a narrow list of eligible providers and covered services.”
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