A U.S. Senate bill to reopen the federal government would likely reimburse healthcare providers for Medicare telehealth visits that haven’t been paid during the stoppage, Inside Health Policy reported Nov. 10.
Telehealth claims would be paid retroactively to Oct. 1, when the government shut down and ended pandemic-era Medicare telehealth flexibilities, while claims reimbursed at a lower rate because of geographic rule changes would likely be reprocessed, according to the story. The continuing resolution, advanced Nov. 10 by the Senate, would fund the government through Jan. 30.
Hospitals and health systems have been mired in confusion over the end of reimbursement for Medicare telehealth visits, with some organizations switching patients to in-person appointments and others hoping CMS would reimburse retroactively.
