AAH joins efforts to extend telehealth flexibilities 

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, improved access to specialists, and shortened wait times to be seen,” the groups state in a Dec. 3 letter. “Importantly, as patients and clinicians navigate challenging economic conditions, the use of telehealth has provided affordable health care options.” Stakeholders seek to extend the following telehealth policies that were included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) of 2023: 

• Waiving geographic and originating site restrictions so that urban, suburban and rural Medicare patients can continue to receive telehealth services at any location, including their home as the “originating site” rather than have to travel to a brick-and-mortar healthcare facility; 
• Expanding the list of telehealth practitioners to include qualified occupational therapists (OTs), physical therapists (PTs), speech-language pathologists (SLPs), and audiologists;  
• Continuing payment for telehealth services delivered in rural health clinics (RHCs) and federally qualified health centers (FQHCs); 
• Waiving the in-person requirement for telehealth treatment of certain mental health conditions; 
• Permitting use of audio only technology when broadband is insufficient or unavailable to support a video visit; 
• Allowing recertification of a patient’s need for hospice to occur via telehealth; and 
• Continuing the Acute Hospital Care at Home (AHCAH) initiative, which allows certain Medicare-certified hospitals to treat patients with inpatient-level care at home from participating hospitals.