Future of Medicare Telehealth Uncertain as End of COVID-19 PHE Nears

As the May 11 end of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) approaches, uncertainty surrounds the future of Medicare telehealth services. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 will preserve some of the provisions that allowed additional telehealth flexibility, but the bill doesn’t cover everything, such as prescribing controlled substances through telehealth.

According to Briana Contreras, “For those healthcare providers that have never had an in-person visit with their patient before, they will be restricted from prescribing any controlled substance (Schedule II-V) via a telehealth encounter. While the end of the PHE may prompt DEA to enact a temporary or permanent fix, without any changes, patients receiving telehealth care will face access issues on May 12, 2023.”

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(Source: Managed Healthcare Executive, February 12^th, 2023)