When it comes to the future of telehealth, there are three undisputable facts: Fact 1: Unprecedented numbers of Americans tried it during the pandemic. Fact 2: Most of the people that utilized telehealth, including those who firmly opposed the concept before the public health emergency (PHE), liked the experience and want to keep engaging in it. Fact 3: Members of Congress are extremely aware of Facts 1 and 2. When you add it all up, it becomes a question of not if but when and how the temporary changes made to allow telehealth access become permanent. Telehealth & Medicare: Before the PHE Like most payors, Medicare has historically been skeptical of telehealth and covered it in only very restricted circumstances. But all of that changed when, starting on January 31, 2020, the US declared a PHE in response to COVID-19. Shortly afterwards, states across the country started implementing statewide shutdown orders and local stay-at-home policies to prevent transmission and provide some relief to hospitals overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases. With patients and providers stuck at home, telehealth represented the only way for patients to receive and providers to furnish health care services. Consequently, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) […]