Twenty-four individuals have been charged in a health care fraud scheme that resulted in a $1.2 billion loss to federal health care programs. The charges target those involved in a conspiracy affecting Medicare beneficiaries. Call centers were used to generate beneficiary leads, each of whom was promised free or low-cost durable medical equipment. The call centers then submitted kickbacks to telemedicine companies to facilitate the issuance of a DME order...

Telemedicine can be a means of providing high quality care in a way that increases access for patients and reach for providers while lowering cost for all parties involved. Although this seems like a winning proposition, telehealth is still in its infancy. Both regulators and payors acknowledge the potential cost savings and enhanced patient outcomes that may result from the expansion of telehealth; but they also acknowledge—and are attempting to...

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced an $100 million telehealth program, which the FCC will vote on in August. The Connected Care Pilot Program will issue grants to providers to aid in securing broadband connectivity with the intention of assisting rural, low income beneficiaries gain access to telemedicine services. Access to telehealth services can enhance patient outcomes while reducing cost for both healthcare programs and providers. Over the course...

Last week, Teladoc Inc. dropped its federal antitrust lawsuit against the Texas Medical Board related to the Board's requirement that a face-to-face encounter occurs prior to a telemedicine encounter in the state. In the lawsuit which began in 2015, Teladoc alleged that the Board's rules were intended to stifle competition, particularly with respect to the in-person contact requirements of practitioners and patients, which favored and protected brick-and-mortar physicians while limiting...

Last month, a federal bill was introduced and passed by the Senate that enables Medicare Advantage (MA) plans to reimburse for telehealth services at comparable rates to in-person services beginning in 2020. Currently, MA plans offer telehealth coverage for an additional premium; a supplemental benefit. The new bill requires Medicare Advantage plans to reimburse for telehealth services at the same rate as Medicare fee-for-service. While the adoption of this bill...