New telehealth rules: 5 takeaways on temporary flexibilities for 2025

New telehealth rules: 5 takeaways on temporary flexibilities for 2025 
Becker's ASC Review; in collaboration with Coronis Health; 1/21/25 
With the passage of the American Relief Act, 2025, certain telehealth flexibilities initially introduced during the public health emergency (PHE) era have been extended. These provisions, however, are only authorized through March 31, 2025. A Jan. 9 blog post by Coronis Health breaks down what the extensions mean for telehealth providers and patients, what services and features were left out and why certain changes could become permanent in 2025. Five takeaways:

1. Telehealth services can now be offered to patients at any location within the U.S., including their homes. ...
2. Federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and rural health clinics are permitted to offer and receive reimbursement for telehealth services. ...
3. The requirement for an in-person examination before delivering telehealth mental health services has been delayed. ...
4. Broader telehealth extensions were largely left out and certain measures did not make it into the act. ...
5. Medicare will not be using the new codes created within the audio-video code set, per CMS. Organizations are instructed to use codes as if patient encounters are conducted face to face.