The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its annual proposed rule updating the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) for calendar year (CY) 2025....more
8/12/2024
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Digital Health ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Medicare ,
Mental Health ,
Physician Fee Schedule ,
Physicians ,
Telecommunications ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
Executive Summary -
Telehealth utilization spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, facilitated by state and federal policy change implemented in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) declaration. Utilization...more
Support for this work was provided by the New York Health Foundation (NYHealth). NYHealth’s mission is to improve the health of all New Yorkers, especially people of color and others who have been historically marginalized....more
Abstract Issue:
As states continue to enact new restrictions on abortion since the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, access to critical reproductive health and abortion care...more
The purpose of this quarterly tracker is to identify key federal and state health AI policy activity. Below reflects federal legislative and regulatory activity to date related to AI, and state legislative activity introduced...more
4/24/2024
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Biden Administration ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Innovative Technology ,
Life Sciences ,
Machine Learning ,
OCR ,
ONC ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Regulatory Agenda
Florida passed S.B. 7016, which:
Expands the telehealth minority maternity care program from a pilot to a statewide program....more
Background and Objectives
• In August 2023, the American Medical Association conducted a comprehensive study of physician’s sentiments towards the use of augmented intelligence (AI) in health care including current use...more
Background -
Telehealth utilization spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, facilitated by state and federal policy change through the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) declaration. Use has tapered off from the height...more
3/28/2024
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Licensing Rules ,
Medical Reimbursement ,
Patient Access ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
Last week, Utah governor Spencer Cox signed into law Utah Senate Bill 149 (SB 149), also known the Artificial Intelligence Policy Act (the AI Policy Act). This is the first comprehensive state law on AI in the U.S., creating...more
2023 was a difficult year for specialty value based care start-ups. Revenue fell below expectations, engagement lagged and many start-ups struggled. Health system work in this arena was modest despite a critical mass of...more
With the recent announcements of two new innovation models, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is recognizing the role of digitally enabled care in improving access and outcomes.
...more
3/11/2024
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
CMMI ,
Electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI) ,
Funding Opportunities ,
Health Information Technologies ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
HITECH Act ,
Medicaid ,
Mental Health ,
Substance Abuse
The health care industry, like most industries, is exploring how to reap the benefits of increasingly powerful artificial intelligence-based technologies while managing the risks they pose. Federal and state policymakers are...more
1/30/2024
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Bias ,
Discrimination ,
Georgia ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Innovative Technology ,
Life Sciences ,
Machine Learning ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform
S. 3430: Better Mental Health Care, Lower-Cost Drugs, and Extenders Act of 2023 Introduced December 7, 202-
This bill would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to:
Establish requirements for a code or...more
12/15/2023
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Physician Fee Schedule ,
Prescription Drug Coverage ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
Background Three years following the onset of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), states across the United States continue to enact permanent changes to telehealth laws that impact how physicians and other health care...more
Editor’s Note: In a new issue brief published by the Milbank Memorial Fund and summarized below, Manatt Health and leadership from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS) share insights into...more
10/13/2023
/ Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
Medicaid ,
North Carolina ,
Pandemic ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
S. 2880: A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand the scope of practitioners eligible for payment for telehealth services under the Medicare program, and for other purposes....more
10/2/2023
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicare ,
New Legislation ,
Patient Access ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
Payment Parity: Permanent State Laws and Statutes -
Payment Parity requires that health care providers are reimbursed the same amount for telehealth visits as in-person visits. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many states...more
8/31/2023
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Data Collection ,
DEA ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
Medicaid ,
OIG ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
In response to the large number of public comments received to its recent proposed telemedicine rules, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is holding public listening sessions to consider a special registration for...more
8/14/2023
/ Controlled Substances ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
DEA ,
Electronic Prescribing ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Patient Access ,
Pharmacies ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
The Medicaid Market: A Huge and Growing Investment Opportunity -
Medicaid is a critical source of health care coverage for women in their childbearing years, covering 1 in 5, or 13 million, women of reproductive age and...more
Illinois passed S.B. 1913, which requires Medicaid FFS and Medicaid managed care plans to provide coverage of mental health services, substance use disorder treatment, and ‘behavioral telehealth services’. Requires Medicaid...more
7/31/2023
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Data Collection ,
DEA ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
FQHC ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
OIG ,
Physician Fee Schedule ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Rural Health Care Providers ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
On July 13, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its annual proposed rule updating the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) for calendar year (CY) 2024, which includes various proposed changes related...more
7/24/2023
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Physician Fee Schedule ,
Physicians ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
This bill would require 1) the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to test payment and delivery models regarding the adoption and use of telehealth tools for screening, monitoring, and managing health complications...more
6/15/2023
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
DEA ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Healthcare ,
Medicare ,
OIG ,
Popular ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
Background -
The use of telehealth increased exponentially in 2020 and 2021 as health care providers and patients responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimated that the use of...more
6/1/2023
/ California ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
GAO ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Medi-Cal ,
Medicaid ,
OIG ,
Public Health Emergency ,
State and Local Government ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues across the United States, states, payers, and providers are looking for ways to expand access to telehealth services. Telehealth is an essential tool in ensuring patients are able to access...more
4/24/2023
/ CARES Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
CMMI ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
HRSA ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Patient Access ,
Popular ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine ,
TRACE
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues across the United States, states, payers, and providers are looking for ways to expand access to telehealth services. Telehealth is an essential tool in ensuring patients are able to access...more
4/10/2023
/ American Medical Association ,
CARES Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
CMMI ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Emergency Response ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
HRSA ,
Infectious Diseases ,
MedPAC ,
National Institute of Health (NIH) ,
OCR ,
Patient Access ,
Payment Systems ,
Public Health ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine ,
Title X