Home Health Agencies Can Continue Telemedicine Beyond Pandemic (1)

Nurses and aides who give people health care in their homes can continue to be paid under Medicare for offering telehealth services after the Covid-19 public health emergency ends, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposed Thursday.

Home health providers also can expect a 2.6% increase in Medicare payments next year, about $540 million, the CMS said.

Medicare’s home health benefit provides in-home nursing care for homebound beneficiaries who need therapy or skilled clinical care. But in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, more patients have asked that clinicians and nurses not come into their homes. The administration loosened ...