Hospitals: Telehealth vs Remote Services – What’s the Difference?

Due to the Public Health Emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has issued many waivers regarding how hospitals can deliver outpatient therapy services to their Medicare Part B beneficiaries. In this article, I will discuss the “Hospitals without Walls” and the expansion of telehealth services and explain the difference in the 2 including how to bill for each type of service.

Question
What is “Hospitals without Walls” and how does this allow hospitals to provide outpatient therapy services to Medicare Part B beneficiaries in their home?

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Question
Can hospitals provide outpatient physical, occupational and speech therapy to Medicare Part B beneficiaries via telehealth?

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Question
Regarding billing, what are the main differences in providing outpatient physical, occupational and/or speech therapy via telehealth versus delivering services remotely by adding a Medicare beneficiaries home as a provider-based department of the hospital?

Answer (Updated June 23, 2020)

Question
Is the payment for outpatient therapy services delivered via telehealth or by adding a Medicare beneficiaries home as a provider-based department of the hospital different than if the Medicare beneficiary had an in-person visit in the hospital outpatient therapy department?

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Question
Do telehealth visits and remote visits (patients home added as a provider-based department of the hospital) count towards the annual therapy threshold dollar amount?

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Does the Multiple Procedure Payment Reduction (MPPR) policy apply to outpatient therapy visits delivered via telehealth or remotely to a Medicare beneficiary whose home has been designated a provider-based department of the hospital?

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Question (Added June 22, 2020)
Has CMS provided any questions and answers addressing the questions you have in this article?

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I hope this article cleared up any confusion you may have had between delivering outpatient physical, occupational and/or speech therapy services remotely by adding a Medicare beneficiaries home as a provider-based department of the hospital or via telehealth. Thank you for being a Gold Member!