As our country responds to the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic, we are working rapidly to change the way we practice medicine to keep people safe. One critical innovation is the use of telehealth, which allows patients to use smartphones, laptops, and other widely available technologies to connect with your healthcare team.
Under President Donald Trump’s leadership, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has been toppling regulatory barriers to telehealth reimbursement during this emergency.
For the duration of the pandemic, Medicare beneficiaries may now stay at home and use a commonly available interactive form of technology like FaceTime or Skype to have a telehealth office visit.
Some hospitals and practices have online portals available as well, but you can also simply use your telephone. These developments are a game-changer for new and established patients, as well as their trusted clinicians.
Medicare has added more than 80 new services that can be provided via telehealth, such as physical therapy, speech or hearing therapy, radiation treatment management, group psychotherapy, inpatient neonatal and pediatric critical care, and end-stage renal disease services.
During this pandemic, the option for telehealth has now been extended to home health, nursing home visits, and hospice as well. You can even make a “visit” to the emergency room through your phone. Crucially, Medicare copayments can be waived during this national crisis for all these telehealth services.
We cannot overstate the importance of Americans staying home as much as possible for the coming days and weeks. Staying home means reducing your risk of infection and keeping others in waiting rooms and emergency departments, particularly healthcare workers, safe from this highly contagious, potentially deadly disease.
At the same time, it’s never been more important to be able to reach your doctor or therapist. With telehealth services, we can accomplish both goals — increasing access to care, while also doing our part to prevent the possible spread of COVID-19.
Telehealth helps doctors and other clinicians as well. It enables healthcare workers to safely work during this pandemic by greatly reducing their risk of exposure to COVID-19. And if they are quarantined, it opens the option of working from home. Telehealth allows them to continue to practice medicine, albeit in a different way, and remain available to their patients.
Moreover, this now-virtual workforce can be deployed to assess and treat patients at a distance, extending a lifeline to millions and providing convenient, continuous management of common chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and more. These clinicians and therapists are helping their patients monitor illness and stay healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It has been inspiring to see how quickly many practices have shifted to this innovative mode of care. Now, we need even more practices and patients to follow their lead. Physicians, visit CMS.gov to learn more about our efforts and see if you can bring your practice online. Patients, ask your provider if you can attend your upcoming appointments virtually.
The more that do so, the further we can extend our supply of personal protective equipment — masks, gloves, gowns, etc. — to protect our courageous healthcare workforce on the front lines of the COVID-19 fight.
America has a long and proud history of responding to crises with ingenuity. Telehealth is taking its place in that venerable American tradition. We encourage you to do your part: stay home, and use telehealth for as many healthcare needs as you can. It can save lives.
Jerome Adams is the U.S. Surgeon General. Seema Verma is the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator.
