Bradley Partner John Perry Quoted in Health Plan Weekly on Increased Interest in Telehealth

Bradley attorney John Perry was quoted in Health Plan Weekly on health insurers increased interest and investment in telehealth. Experts say that payers are largely still experimenting to find the best approach to virtual care.    

CMS proposed changes to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule in July that would effectively increase the program’s coverage of telehealth. For example, it expanded coverage for services that “intrinsically involve the use of audiovisual technology,” explained Perry. That includes virtual check-ins and interprofessional consultations — such as when a primary care physician needs to confer with a specialist.

“Those have potential for a lot of patient convenience and also potentially savings for the Medicare program,” Perry said.

The rule also implements expansions of telehealth services included in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 — including removing geographic restrictions on using telehealth for certain acute stroke services, Perry pointed out.

Still, “I think in some respects, CMS is behind commercial payers in this area,” he said.

The complete article, “Health Insurers’ Interest, Investment in Telehealth Heats Up,” appeared in Health Plan Weekly on September 3, 2018.