News

By Eric Wicklund, Healthleadersmedia.com

Congress is moving forward with a healthcare package that would, among other things, extend the telehealth waivers and the CMS Acute Hospital Care at Home (AHCaH) program.

According to news reports Tuesday out of Washington DC, the bill, part of a package being prepared for a vote to fund government agencies and avoid a potential shutdown, would extend the telehealth flexibilities through 2027 and the AHCaH program through 2030. It would also boost this year’s funding for community health centers to $6.4 billion and enable Medicare coverage for multi-cancer early detection screening tests.

Advocates reacted with cautious optimism to the news, noting that the bipartisan bill will still have to pass muster with GOP fiscal conservatives – and be approved by President Trump.

“We’ve seen before that even strong, bipartisan proposals can face unexpected hurdles late in the process, which is why it’s important not to take any outcome for granted when it comes to Congressional legislation,” Alexis Apple, vice president of federal affairs for the American Telemedicine Association and deputy executive director of ATA Action, said in a press release. “This momentum is real and meaningful, and it is a very good sign that telehealth provisions continue to advance with bipartisan support. We are optimistic this legislation can move forward, as it includes a number of strong bipartisan priorities and is not tied to the more partisan homeland security funding debate currently underway.”

Aside from the extensions, the bill would extend coverage for in-home cardiopulmonary rehabilitation services through 2027; enhance Medicare coverage of durable medical equipment (DME) services; mandate that the Health and Human Services Department issue guidance within a year on improving virtual care services for patients with limited English proficiency; and include digital health companies in the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program through 2029.

The bill, if passed into law, provides some measure of relief for healthcare leaders mapping out their telehealth and Hospital at Home strategies, but advocates were quick to point out it’s just another in a long line of extensions approved by federal regulators since they were enacted in 2020 during the COVID pandemic.

Without this deal, the telehealth waivers and AHCaH program would expire in less than two weeks.

Supporters say the telehealth flexibilities in particular are needed to help expand and improve virtual care services offered through health systems and hospitals. Without any assurance that they would be permanent, leadership has to develop and fund programs with the understanding that they may have to be shut down when the waivers expire.

Through those flexibilities, the government has:

• Waived geographic restrictions on telehealth coverage and use;
• Expanded the list of providers able to bill Medicare for telehealth services;
• Allowed audio-only telehealth services;
• Eased originating site restrictions on telehealth so that the patient can receive treatment at home;
• Waived the in-person requirement for telemental health treatment;
• Enabled telehealth service for hospice care; and
• Enabled Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) to use telehealth.

By Jessica Hall, Marketwatch.com

Telehealth services for Medicare beneficiaries which were slated to end later this month may get a two-year extension that could keep in place the pandemic-era services available to more than 67 million beneficiaries.

Under a funding package released by the U.S. House appropriations committee on Tuesday, Medicare’s telehealth coverage would be extended until Dec. 31, 2027. Policymakers face a Jan. 30 deadline to extend telehealth funding, or coverage that has been in effect since March 2020 will lapse.

Written by Susan Morse, HealthcareFinanceNews.com

The American Telemedicine Association is warning of yet another upcoming telehealth cliff.

There are just 24 days left for Congress to pass a federal budget and to extend the next telehealth deadline, before the government shuts down on Jan. 30, the ATA yesterday.

ATA Action, the affiliated policy and legislative advocacy arm of the American Telemedicine Association, is once again urging Congress to act to avoid another lapse in telehealth services.

The answer is for Congress to make permanent what has been temporary extensions since the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency, the ATA said.

“We are counting on our government champions to find a permanent solution or at least to establish a long-term extension for these telehealth waivers,” said Alexis Apple, deputy executive director, ATA Action, and vice president of federal affairs at the ATA.

Also on the chopping block at the end of the month unless Congress acts are Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospitals (DSH) cuts and the acute hospital care at home program.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Telehealth and other flexibilities are supported by hospitals.

All are tied up in the government funding package and are of concern, said America’s Essential Hospitals.

THE LARGER TREND

Telehealth and other healthcare flexibilities were threatened in the last government shutdown, which began Oct. 1 and became the longest shutdown in U.S. history. It ended Nov. 12 when Congress reached a budget agreement.

Democrats had held out for a continuation of Affordable Care Act enhanced subsidies but failed to get that pushed through.

The U.S. House of Representatives today was poised to vote on a three-year extension of the tax credits. The legislation is expected to pass the House, but was believed to have no chance in the Senate.

ON THE RECORD

“With only a handful of days left, time is running out for Congress to send legislation to President Trump for signature, extending essential telehealth and digital health services for the Medicare population, as well as for the millions of Americans in rural and urban communities and those with chronic and acute conditions who have come to rely on these virtual care solutions,” said ATA’s Apple. “We realize that Congress is returning to Washington with a number of pressing issues to address, right out of the gate. However, extending these telehealth waivers, originally put in place by President Trump during his first term in office, should be a slam dunk.”

By Marissa Plescia (MedCityNews.com)

In an issue brief released Monday, the American Medical Association (AMA) urged Congress to make permanent the Medicare telehealth flexibilities introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Before Covid-19, only a select few Medicare beneficiaries could access virtual care. They had to be in a rural setting, not an urban or suburban setting. They also could only use telehealth in an approved originating site, like a hospital or a physician’s office. These restrictions were waived during Covid-19 in order to expand access to care.

These flexibilities have been extended numerous times and are currently set to expire at the end of January. This reliance on temporary extensions has created uncertainty for providers and patients, the AMA argued in the issue brief.

“Since the Covid-19 public health emergency, Congress has repeatedly extended telehealth flexibilities for Medicare patients—often at the last moment—creating uncertainty for millions of patients and their physicians,” said AMA President Dr. Bobby Mukkamala, in a statement. “As the current waiver deadline approaches, Congress must finally act decisively to prevent a disruptive and abrupt halt to the expanded telehealth services that have improved care continuity, chronic disease management, and access for rural and underserved communities.”

The issue brief explains that telehealth use surged during the pandemic, with more than 28 million Medicare beneficiaries using virtual care, and studies show telehealth visits are 9.2 percentage points more likely to be completed than in-person appointments.

In addition, multiple studies, including one from the University of Michigan, found that telehealth does not increase overall utilization and can lower costs, with one study showing $82 lower Medicare spending per patient after a telehealth visit compared with in-person care.

The AMA calls for several congressional actions, including permanently removing restrictions on Medicare coverage of telehealth services so patients can receive telehealth at home regardless of location. The organization also asks to extend the Acute Hospital at Home Care waiver through 2030 and authorize continued use of virtual diabetes prevention programs. It is also pushing lawmakers to address coverage and payment barriers for remote patient monitoring devices to improve maternal and child health outcomes under Medicaid.

“When thoughtfully integrated, particularly through coordinated systems and hybrid care models, telehealth has demonstrated the ability to reduce care fragmentation, improve outcomes, enhance patient engagement and lower costs,” the AMA stated in the issue brief. “Real-world data increasingly supports its role in delivering high-quality, efficient care across populations. Yet many telehealth flexibilities remain tethered to temporary pandemic-era policies. Treating them as stopgap measures rather than foundational tools undermines progress toward a modern, innovative and resilient health system.”

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, in partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has issued a Fourth Temporary Extension of the COVID-19 Telemedicine Flexibilities for the Prescription of Controlled Medications, extending the current telemedicine flexibilities through December 31, 2026.

Under these telemedicine flexibilities, DEA-registered practitioners are permitted to remotely prescribe Schedule II-V controlled medications via audio-video telemedicine encounters, including Schedule III-V narcotic controlled medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for maintenance and withdrawal management treatment of opioid use disorder via audio-only telemedicine encounters, without having ever conducted an in-person medical evaluation, provided that such prescriptions otherwise comply with the requirements outlined in DEA guidance documents, DEA regulations, and applicable federal and state law.

“DEA supports telehealth access for patients who need medication, but not at the expense of public safety,” said DEA Assistant Administrator Cheri Oz, Diversion Control Division. “These rules aim to protect patients, expand access to care, and close the door on diversion into the illicit drug market.”

DEA recognizes that the expiration of the current telemedicine flexibilities without further regulation could disrupt patient care. This extension provides critical benefits, including:

• Ensuring continuity of care for patients who rely on telemedicine, particularly those in rural and underserved areas, the elderly, and patients with mobility limitations
• Preventing a backlog of patients needing in-person appointments
• Allowing time to finalize and implement regulations that balance access to care with the necessary safeguards against drug diversion

On January 17, 2025, DEA and HHS published two final rules titled Expansion of Buprenorphine Treatment via Telemedicine Encounter and Continuity of Care via Telemedicine for Veterans Affairs Patients (collectively referred to as the “Two Final Rules”). These rules take effect December 31, 2025.

The Fourth Temporary Extension, along with the Two Final Rules, provides three distinct sets of authorities for telemedicine prescribing, each with unique requirements. Practitioners covered by one or both of the Two Final Rules may continue to utilize the telemedicine flexibilities under the fourth temporary rule, which imposes fewer requirements than the Two Final Rules.

For more information: Federal Register :: Fourth Temporary Extension of COVID-19 Telemedicine Flexibilities for Prescription of Controlled Medications.

Information provided in a press release from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration.

News from the South Carolina Department of Health & Human Services:

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced South Carolina will receive $200,030,252 in federal Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program funding for fiscal year 2026. The RHT Program was established under the Working Families Tax Cuts Act signed into law by President Trump July 4, 2025.

“Thanks to the hard work of SCDHHS Director Eunice Medina and her team, South Carolina has secured $200 million through President Trump’s Rural Health Transformation Program,” said Governor Henry McMaster. “We will put these funds to work to strengthen rural health care and help ensure South Carolina continues to lead the way in Making America Healthy Again.”

Governor McMaster has designated the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS) as the lead agency to implement South Carolina’s RHT Program. The program is a cooperative agreement between CMS and state governments. SCDHHS will work closely with CMS to implement the initiatives described in South Carolina’s application in line with federal requirements, quality standards and funding rules.

South Carolina’s approach to this funding opportunity will emphasize one-time, high-impact investments that remove systemic barriers and build long-term capacity. This investment will enable the state to modernize rural healthcare infrastructure, expand access to essential services and build a resilient, sustainable healthcare system that delivers measurable improvements in health outcomes for generations to come.

South Carolina’s RHT Program application focused on five major initiatives to increase access to quality healthcare services, particularly those that focus on improving chronic disease and maternal health outcomes across the state’s rural communities. They are:

• Connections to Care: Expands digital infrastructure by implementing electronic health records, remote patient monitoring, telehealth services and a statewide resource database platform to improve care coordination and access
• Leveling up: Scales successful pilot programs statewide, focusing on chronic disease management, pediatric care quality and workforce development
• Wellness Within Reach: Deploys mobile health units, crisis response teams and pop up clinics to bring care directly to underserved populations
• Shoring up to Sustainability: Strengthens rural healthcare systems through targeted investments in workforce recruitment and retention, facility upgrades and provider training
• Tech Catalyst Fund: Supports rural health technology startups and community-based innovations to drive long-term health and economic improvements

“The Rural Health Transformation Program provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to strategically address barriers that have long-hindered access to quality care in our rural communities,” said SCDHHS Director Eunice Medina. “We look forward to working closely with CMS to improve health outcomes across the state by bringing these initiatives to life as quickly as possible.”

South Carolina developed its RHT plan and outcomes-driven initiatives by leveraging longstanding relationships with state agencies, healthcare providers, advocates, community leaders and local and state officials. This produced more than 350 proposals with ideas for inclusion in the state’s RHT Program plan. South Carolina’s RHT application and other information, including the slides and recording from the state’s November 2025 public webinar, are available at https://scdhhs.gov/rhtp.

SCDHHS will provide additional guidance on how stakeholders can learn more about RHT Program funding opportunities. Future webinars and RHT Program guidance will be announced via SCDHHS’ Medicaid bulletins. Healthcare providers and other interested stakeholders can sign up to receive Medicaid bulletins on SCDHHS’ website.

Article by Bill Siwicki, HealthcareITNews.com

With the advent of urgent care, people suddenly were able to see a primary care physician within a matter of hours without having to go to an emergency room. Urgent care changed the way a big chunk of healthcare is delivered.

But what about urgent care for seeing a specialist? Sometimes people do have an urgent need to see a specialist – for example, some psychiatric problems. In other cases, people need to see specialists a lot sooner than they can get an appointment to see one. Specialist wait times easily can stretch out many months, if not longer.

Dr. Anne Allen is a dermatologist and pediatric dermatologist with extensive experience in both in-person and virtual dermatologic care. In person, Allen specializes in complex pediatric dermatology. In telehealth, she sees a full array of skin conditions in both adult and pediatric patients via virtual care provider platform Miiskin.

She sees patients in 36 states and responds to these consultations in less than 48 hours on weekdays and most often within 24 hours.

No such thing as quick

“There’s really no such thing as same-day or even ‘quick’ urgent specialist care in the traditional healthcare system,” she said. “Most specialists simply don’t have that flexibility unless a colleague calls in a personal favor and they overbook.

“A big part of the issue is supply and demand,” she continued. “Across many specialties – dermatology and ophthalmology are good examples – there just aren’t enough specialists to keep up with the volume of referrals. Wait times of three to six months are common, even for issues that may resolve in a few weeks.”

Allen added that primary care is referring more patients to dermatologists than ever before.

“People are more aware of their skin and health concerns – thanks in part to online information – and primary care clinicians are understandably cautious,” she explained. “That increased awareness, combined with a shortage of specialists, means long waits have become the norm.

“So, the status quo is really a combination of insufficient specialist capacity, higher referral volume, and a system that’s simply not designed to offer fast, affordable specialty access,” she added.

Seeing specialists much faster

Telehealth dramatically speeds up access to specialists – not just in dermatology, but across specialties, Allen said.

“Every telehealth organization I’ve worked with requires that patients are seen within 48 hours, and most providers respond within 12-24 hours,” she noted. “Compared to the traditional three-to-six-month wait, the difference is enormous.

“On the cost side, telehealth lowers expenses because there’s no brick-and-mortar overhead,” she continued. “Patients aren’t paying for a physical clinic, exam rooms, front-desk staff, or all of the infrastructure that goes into running a traditional practice. They’re essentially paying for the specialist’s time plus minimal administrative and platform costs.”

That’s why the price difference can be so significant. A typical in-person initial dermatology visit runs between $150 and $400. Follow-up visits, while less expensive, still typically run in the hundreds. Telehealth visits, depending on the platform, typically range from $25 to $100. On Miiskin, for example, dermatologists set their own consultation fees – most offer a flat $59 fee for a new visit and $39 for medication refills.

“Even with insurance, many patients find that the telehealth visit is cheaper than their specialist copay – especially for conditions requiring multiple visits, like acne or Accutane management,” Allen noted.

Real-world examples

Recently, Allen saw a breastfeeding mother submit what she thought was an acne flare. When Allen looked at the photos, it was clearly shingles – something that is urgent, especially because the mother could transmit chickenpox to her baby. Shingles can also threaten vision depending on the location, so it’s not something that should wait.

“I saw her within an hour of getting her message, prescribed valacyclovir, and she had the medication in hand at her pharmacy within another hour,” Allen recalled. “That entire care cycle was completed in about two hours.

“In traditional care, that visit would have been billed as a higher-level code because medication was prescribed, typically $250 to $300 for the visit alone – and she would have waited weeks to get in,” she continued. “By then, the virus would likely have resolved or, worse, caused chickenpox in her infant. We see cases like this all day long – urgent issues that are treated quickly and safely through telehealth.”

Another example Allen offered from a recent telehealth consult was a spreading fungal infection that wasn’t responding to any over-the-counter treatments. She prescribed a two-week course of oral terbinafine. Without that timely intervention, it would have continued to spread on the patient and to others around them, she explained.

What can health systems do?

Health systems and group practices could dramatically improve access and reduce costs by integrating telehealth into their triage process, she suggested.

“They should be hiring online specialists, or assigning their existing specialists to cover telehealth shifts, to review cases marked as urgent or semi-urgent,” she said. “This allows specialists to quickly identify which patients need to be seen tomorrow and which can wait a few months.

“For example, a growing or changing mole isn’t ideal for full telehealth diagnosis, but a teledermatologist can flag it as needing immediate in-person evaluation if it looks concerning in photos,” she continued. “Shingles, acne that is affecting mental health or scarring, and many other conditions that genuinely need timely treatment can be addressed same-day or next-day.”

Telehealth triage not only speeds patient care but also helps health systems use their in-person capacity more efficiently – instead of long waitlists filled with non-urgent cases, specialists are seeing the right patients at the right time, she added.

“Whether health systems use independent teledermatologists like me or build internal telehealth capacity, the model is the same: telehealth triage first, in-person care when needed,” Allen said. “This approach improves outcomes, shortens waits and saves significant cost across the board.

“Telehealth is not a replacement for in-person dermatology, but practices that integrate both approaches are more efficient and able to deliver higher-quality care,” she concluded.

Article by Anuja Vaidya, Techtarget.com

Telehealth use among physicians remained high in 2024, with 71.4% of physicians working in practices that used telehealth. However, utilization varied by specialty and practice ownership, according to new data from the American Medical Association, or AMA.

The data published in the latest AMA Policy Research Perspectives report was gathered from the AMA’s nationally representative Physician Practice Benchmark Survey, which is conducted on a biennial basis.

The share of physicians in practices that used telehealth dropped slightly from 79% in 2020 to 74.4% in 2022. This figure dropped again to 71.4% in 2024, but remained high compared to the pre-pandemic figure of 25.1% in 2018.

In 2024, more than half of physicians (52.5%) reported that their practices were using telehealth to manage patients with chronic diseases or to diagnose and treat patients (48.5%). Approximately 40% of physicians worked in practices that utilized telehealth to care for patients with acute diseases, and 25% were in practices that employed it to provide preventive care.

The data further reveals that utilization of synchronous video-based telehealth and audio-only telehealth declined between 2022 and 2024. In 2024, 49.6% of physicians provided a video visit in the week prior to being surveyed, compared to 53.9% in 2022. Similarly, 40.9% of physicians offered audio-only telehealth in 2024 versus 49% in 2022.

Telehealth use differed by practice ownership, with the data showing that physicians in hospital-owned practices were more likely to report telehealth utilization compared to those in private practice. These differences also appear at the specialty level. For instance, 78.9% of primary care physicians in hospital-owned practices said that their practice used synchronous telehealth with patients, compared to only 70.1% of their peers in private practice.

Physicians’ telehealth utilization also varied according to their specialty. A majority of psychiatrists (85.9%) had provided a video visit in the week preceding their survey, followed by medical specialists (65.3%), primary care physicians (57.8%) and surgeons (41.8%).

Psychiatrists relied heavily on telehealth, with 68.2% using telehealth for more than 20% of weekly visits.

Among medical specialists, endocrinologists provided the most video visits, with 84% having provided a video visit in the prior week. Cardiologists provided the least, with 58.6% having conducted a video visit in the week preceding the survey. Among primary care physicians, family and general medicine physicians (63.2%) were more likely to have provided a video visit in the prior week than internists (54.4%) and pediatricians (53.8%).

In addition to detailing physicians’ telehealth use in 2024, the research also provides the most commonly cited reasons for not using telehealth. Most physicians who did not use telehealth (60.6%) stated that telehealth visits were “not relevant to the work of the specialties in my practice,” 36.7% preferred to treat their patients in person and 14% indicated that telehealth was not sufficiently reimbursed.

The research comes as the healthcare industry awaits Congress’ decision about the future of telehealth flexibilities. The pandemic-era flexibilities significantly increased access to telehealth, but will expire on Jan. 30, 2026, if Congress does not act to extend or make them permanent.

By Carissa Mosness, Women’s World 

Physicians who treat people on Medicare just got a major update: They will be getting a 2.5 percent pay increase thanks to the 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. It officially takes effect January 1, 2026, and it’s not only a change for doctors. It’s expected to impact patients significantly, especially those who rely on telehealth services. We break down how the 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule will impact patients and physicians below.

What to know about the 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare Physician Fee Schedule determines the payment rates for medical professions who treat people on Medicare Part B during a calendar year. In 2026, the rate will increase by 2.5 percent. But that’s not as beneficial for doctors as one might expect.

“That physicians are not facing a reduction in reimbursements – as we have in the past – is a significant positive for 2026 and a win for patients’ access to care. Yet, this one-time correction does not keep up with increasing costs, and private practices across the country are expressing concern this rule would further put them at a disadvantage merely for treating patients at a hospital or ambulatory surgery center,” American Medical Association (AMA) President Bobby Mukkamala, MD, said in a statement.  Due to that, there are concerns that people on Medicare won’t receive the highest quality of care because there simply won’t be enough resources.

How the 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule affects patients

Along with the potential for low-quality care, one of the biggest changes being made by the 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule is access to telehealth. With these new rules, physicians will no longer have to limit how many virtual appointments they take for patients in hospitals and skilled nursing facilities. That means patients in those facilities can receive medical care from their homes, and not traveling to a doctor’s office is a huge benefit to these patients.

This new rule will also take effect on January 1, 2026-but it could change if Congress decides to end the telehealth program altogether at the end of January. Currently the government is only planning to allow the remote medical service to continue until January 30, as outlined in the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act,  meaning that while this news is helpful it might not last.

“Telehealth has been a lifeline since the pandemic, giving providers the ability to reach patients, especially in rural or underserved areas who lack easy access to in-person care,” Kevin Thompson, the CEO of 9i Capital Group and the host of the 9innings podcast, told Newsweek. “If these provisions are not extended further, rural residents and individuals with limited mobility could face serious challenges, including long travel times and reduced access to care that telehealth once helped eliminate.”

As of publication, Congress has yet to meet to discuss if they will continue to fund Medicare’s telehealth program for the rest of 2026. During that meeting they will also discuss how they will continue to fund other programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Social Security.

By Suzanne Blake, Newsweek.com

Medicare coverage is changing next month as telehealth flexibilities largely disappear.

The Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act extended telehealth options that were enacted during the coronavirus pandemic but ended during the government shutdown.

A financial literacy expert told Newsweek, in part, “The extension through January 31, 2026, ensures Medicare recipients will continue to have coverage in this area and even retroactively in the time that the extension had yet to be passed.”

Why It Matters

Medicare telehealth options allow patients to access health care while still at home, which is beneficial for many elderly Americans who may find it difficult to travel to any actual office or have limited doctors in their area.

What To Know