Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP
Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) temporarily waived certain Medicare restrictions on telehealth—the delivery of some services via audio-only or video technology. Use of telehealth services increased from about 5 million services pre-waiver (April to December 2019) to more than 53 million services post-waiver (April to December 2020). Total utilization of all Medicare services declined by about 14 percent post-waiver due to a 25 percent drop in in-person service use. GAO also found that, post-waiver, telehealth services increased across all provider specialties, and 5 percent of providers delivered over 40 percent of services. Urban providers delivered a greater percentage of their services via telehealth compared to rural providers; office visits and psychotherapy were the most common services.
By law, Medicare pays for telehealth services under limited circumstances—such as only in certain (mostly rural) geographic locations. The waivers and other flexibilities that HHS issued in March 2020 (including under its own regulatory authority) have allowed services to be safely delivered and received during the pandemic. There is stakeholder interest in making these changes permanent. GAO and others have noted that extending them may increase spending and pose new risks of fraud, waste, and abuse.
GAO was asked to review telehealth services under the waivers. This report describes, among other issues, (1) the utilization of telehealth services, (2) CMS efforts to identify and monitor risks posed by Medicare telehealth waivers, and (3) a change OCR made to its enforcement of regulations governing patients’ protected health information during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
GAO analyzed Medicare claims data from 2019 through 2020 (the most recently available data at the time); reviewed federal statutes, CMS documents (including its assessment of risks posed by telehealth waivers), and OCR guidance; and interviewed agency officials.
The full GAO report (75 pages) can be viewed here.
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