4 telehealth updates following the COVID public health emergency physicians should know

HHS published a fact sheet on changes to telehealth policies following the expiration of the national public health emergency May 11.

Here are four updates physicians should know:

1. The Consolidated Appropriations Act has extended Medicare telehealth flexibilities through December 2024. This will continue access to telehealth services in any geographic area in the country, not just rural areas.
2. Following the end of the public health emergency, Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program telehealth policies will vary by state.
3. Following the end of the public health emergency, private insurance telehealth policies will vary by plan.
4. The HHS Office for Civil Rights' notification of enforcement discretion will expire May 11 when the public health emergency ends. This notification stated that the office would not impose penalties for HIPAA noncompliance against covered healthcare providers, which addressed new telehealth services that were needed during the pandemic but may not have fully complied with HIPAA rules.