Most Medicare beneficiaries received telehealth services only from providers with whom they had an established relationship

Most Medicare beneficiaries received telehealth services only from providers with whom they had an established relationship

Collection:
Health Policy and Services Research
Series Title(s):
Data snapshot
Contributor(s):
United States. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of Inspector General. Office of Evaluation and Inspections, issuing body.
Publication:
Washington, D.C. : U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, October 2021
Language(s):
English
Format:
Text
Subject(s):
Fraud -- prevention & control
Government Regulation
Medicaid -- economics
Physician-Patient Relations
Telemedicine -- organization & administration
COVID-19
United States
United States. Department of Health and Human Services
Genre(s):
Technical Report
Abstract:
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, both Congress and the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) expanded access to a wide range of medical services that can be delivered via telehealth (i.e., telehealth services). This expansion enhanced the ability of health care providers to offer care to Medicare beneficiaries remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, beneficiaries were only able to receive certain telehealth services from providers with whom they had an established relationship. However, HHS announced that it will use its discretion to not enforce requirements for established relationships during the pandemic. While the expansion of telehealth has been essential to maintaining beneficiaries’ access to care, there have been concerns about the potential for fraud, waste, and abuse associated with expanded telehealth services. This data snapshot provides information to policymakers and other stakeholders about the relationship between beneficiaries and providers of telehealth services. These data are critical to informing decisions about how to structure telehealth services in Medicare on a more permanent basis. Understanding how likely beneficiaries are to receive telehealth services from a provider with whom they have had an established relationship, and the average timeframe between an in-person visit and a telehealth service, can help inform decisions on how frequently in-person care may need to be paired with telehealth services. This snapshot is part of a series of reports on telehealth; the other reports focus on telehealth utilization and program integrity.
Copyright:
The National Library of Medicine believes this item to be in the public domain. (More information)
Extent:
1 online resource (1 PDF file (6 pages))
Illustrations:
Illustrations
NLM Unique ID:
9918383985906676 (See catalog record)
Permanent Link:
http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/9918383985906676