Telehealth is Changing This Month. Is Your Practice Prepared?
Telehealth Update Effective 3/31/2025
Medicare will no longer provide coverage for telehealth services after March 31, 2025. Is your practice adequately prepared for this significant change?
Only a limited number of illnesses will remain covered under Medicare's new telehealth policies. Medicare.gov lists the following as covered:
Monthly End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) visits for home dialysis
Services for diagnosis, evaluation, or treatment of symptoms of an acute stroke wherever you are, including in a mobile stroke unit
Services for the diagnosis, evaluation, or treatment of a mental and/or behavioral health disorder (including a substance use disorder) in your homeThe criteria for in-home visits are becoming more stringent; the risk associated with leaving one's home must now be documented as particularly substantial or as extremely difficult.
This change raises serious concerns about the impact on individuals living in rural areas, who may already face barriers to healthcare access. Additionally, how will this affect patients who are not in the final stages of their illnesses but are still at an elevated risk of exposure—such as those living with pulmonary hypertension, weakened immune systems, multiple sclerosis, or Parkinson's disease?
The patients aren’t the only ones facing negative impacts from these adjustments. The implications of these changes may result in negative consequences for healthcare providers and their revenue streams. The inability to provide telehealth services will likely pose decreases in patient visits and engagement. A decrease in patient visits and engagement ultimately results in decreases in revenue.
Furthermore, there is a growing and significant concern that this recent policy shift may contribute to a notable increase in mental health issues among patients who are adversely affected and subsequently lose out on the accessible telehealth services they once relied upon. It remains to be seen how many other payors in the healthcare sector will ultimately follow Medicare’s lead in implementing similar changes to their telehealth coverage policies, which could have far-reaching implications for patient care.
What then, if any, significant changes can healthcare providers implement to ensure they do not forgo necessary treatment and care for patients based on Medicare’s ability to pay for these essential services? Would providers be willing to accept the financial blow to their overall revenue for the greater benefit of the patient’s health and well-being? Will the provider be increasingly challenged to create additional revenue streams in an effort to supplement any potential financial loss? Furthermore, will other specialties, such as Mental Health and Emergency/Acute Care, be adequately prepared for the potential transitions resulting from the possible termination of telehealth services? Only time, indeed, will tell…
