December 2020 Appropriations Act Allows Medicare To Continue Payment For Mental Health Telehealth But Requires In-Person Visit

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 that became law on December 27, 2020, includes a provision that allows Medicare to continue to reimburse for mental health telehealth services regardless of the beneficiary’s geographic location or the originating location. However, under this provision Medicare will only reimburse for the telehealth services if the beneficiary has had an in-person office visit with the remote clinical professional at some point in the six months prior to the first telehealth visit.

The provision removes the longstanding restriction that limited telehealth services to beneficiaries in rural geographic areas, and makes permanent a flexibility . . .