Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP
Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare
CMS posted a letter to clinicians that outlines a summary of actions CMS has taken to ensure clinicians have maximum flexibility to reduce unnecessary barriers to providing patient care during the unprecedented outbreak of COVID-19. The summary includes information about telehealth and virtual visits, accelerated and advanced payments, and recent waiver information.
The 9-page Dear Clinician Letter addresses these topics:
- Accelerated and Advanced Payments
- Testing and Claims Reporting for COVID-19
- Medicare Telehealth Visits
- Virtual Check-ins
- E-visits
- Expanded Options for Telehealth Services
- Workforce Flexibilities
- CMS Quality Payment Program (pages 6 & 7 of the letter are identical – info is repeated)
- Emergency Waivers: What does this mean to me in the care of my patients?
- Caring for Your Patients: Frequently Asked Questions to Assist Medicare Providers (PDF) [Contains link to 35-page OSHA Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19]
- Clinical and Technical Guidance Resources
The letter contains numerous resources so be sure to check those out.