Tag: Telehealth
Doc pleads guilty to telehealth scheme
April 8, 2025HME News Staff
ST. LOUIS – Dr. Scott Taggart Roethle, 47, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of health care fraud for conspiring with health care companies and others to order medically unnecessary durable medical equipment, pain creams and genetic tests for thousands of patients in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks. From 2017 until 202, Roethle contracted with multiple health care companies as a telemedicine doctor. Using electronic portals to review...
In brief: Telehealth extended, home infusion bill re-introduced, accessories coding revised
March 19, 2025HME News Staff
WASHINGTON – Congress has passed a continuing resolution that includes an extension of telehealth flexibilities and reimbursement policies through Sept. 30, 2025, VGM has reported.
“These measures represent a commitment to maintaining the momentum of telehealth adoption, which surged during the COVID-19 pandemic,” VGM stated in a bulletin. “By extending these provisions, Congress aims to bridge the gap in health care access for diverse populations, from rural communities...
Telehealth flexibilities extended
March 18, 2025HME News Staff
WASHINGTON – Congress has passed a continuing resolution that includes an extension of telehealth flexibilities and reimbursement policies through Sept. 30, 2025, VGM has reported.
“These measures represent a commitment to maintaining the momentum of telehealth adoption, which surged during the COVID-19 pandemic,” VGM stated in a bulletin. “By extending these provisions, Congress aims to bridge the gap in health care access for diverse populations, from rural communities...
NCART seeks to make telehealth flexibilities permanent
January 6, 2025HME News Staff
WASHINGTON – Now that Congress has extended telehealth flexibilities through March 2025, NCART says it will continue to work toward a permanent solution that allows PTs and OTs to receive coverage under Medicare for remote services related to the provision of complex rehab technology products. To preserve and protect access to CRT and promote continuity of care for beneficiaries, the organization says it will continue to advocate for permanently including PT and OT codes used in the provision...
AASM pushes for permanent telehealth coverage
December 17, 2024HME News Staff
DARIEN, Ill. – The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has issued a new position statement calling for permanent telehealth coverage, emphasizing its essential role in providing high-quality, patient-centered care for individuals with sleep disorders.
The AASM says the position statement, published as an accepted paper in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, comes at a crucial turning point as current telehealth flexibilities implemented by the CMS in response to the COVID-19 public...
In brief: Medicare spending, OIG savings, telehealth flexibility, cath reviews
December 11, 2024HME News Staff
WASHINGTON – Medicare spent 27% more, on average, for people who were covered by traditional Medicare after disenrolling from Medicare Advantage than for people who were continuously covered by traditional Medicare, after adjusting for differences in health status and other characteristics, according to a new analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
This is a difference of $2,585 in Medicare spending per person, on average, between the two groups in 2022.
Other highlights...
AAH joins efforts to extend telehealth flexibilities
December 9, 2024HME News Staff
WASHINGTON – AAHomecare joined 62 other organizations and health care providers in asking congressional leadership to extend the telehealth flexibilities that are set to expire Dec. 31 for at least two additional years. “The flexible telehealth policies put in place following the public health emergency (PHE) have been nothing shy of a lifeline for millions of patients – they have increased virtual access to a wider array of clinicians and services, mitigated the clinician shortage,...
Telehealth use decreases
August 15, 2024HME News Staff
NEW YORK – Telehealth utilization decreased nationally and in every region but the West in May 2024, according to FAIR Health’s Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker. "We are happy to share these continuing windows into telehealth utilization as this venue of care evolves,” said Robin Gelburd, president of FAIR Health. “This is one of the many ways we pursue our health care transparency mission." Nationally, telehealth claim lines fell from 4.86 % of medical claim...
In brief: Inogen buy, UPitt grant, telehealth decrease
July 14, 2023HME News Staff
GOLETA, Calif. - Inogen has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Physio-Assist SAS, a privately held company based in France that makes a technology-enabled airway clearance device called Simeox, for $32 million.
Simeox has been cleared under CE mark in the EU and is currently being sold in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
“This acquisition aligns with our strategy to diversify our portfolio to globally improve patient lives through respiratory care,” said...
Telehealth decreased in April
July 12, 2023HME News Staff
NEW YORK – National telehealth utilization decreased from 5.6% of medical claim lines in March to 5.3% in April, according to FAIR Health's Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker. In April, telehealth utilization also decreased in all four U.S. census regions—the Midwest (4.7%), Northeast (6.3%), South (6.8%) and West (6.4%). The data represent the privately insured population, including Medicare Advantage, and exclude Medicare Fee-for-Service and Medicaid. The top telehealth diagnosis...