Contact: Andrew Kalweit, akalweit@NCUIH.org
The CCHP also provides a detailed report covering relevant state and federal laws, eligible services, and reimbursement policies, apart from these COVID-19 updates.
Medicare reimbursement is now allowed in urban areas
All services allow patients to initiate encounters from their home
Telehealth visits can be with new or established patients
E-visits and brief “virtual check-ins” can be reimbursed:
for emails, calls, texts, and audio/video streaming
with established patients
Eligible providers are:
Physicians ● Nurse practitioners ● Physician assistants ● Nurse-midwives Clinical nurse specialists ● Certified registered nurse anesthetists ● Clinical psychologists (CP) ● Registered dietitians or nutrition professional
See the CMS Fact Sheet for this 1135 waiver, the list of eligible codes, and FAQs.
Medicare has Waived licensing requirements that health care professionals hold licenses in the state in which they provide services.*
State Waivers have expanded opportunities for reimbursement
Policies vary between states, but updates have been collected online.
For a good guide for services in your state that were already reimbursable prior to COVID-19, see the 2019 CCHP Report.
Many payers have made announcements on telehealth during this pandemic, such as Aetna, Cigna, and BlueShield BlueCross