Medicare Lifts Requirement For Physician Travel In Light Of Advances In Telehealth

On May 12, 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule that eliminates the previous requirement that physicians travel to critical access hospitals (CAHs), rural health clinics (RHCs), and federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) at least once every two weeks. The rule change rests on CMS’ determination that advances in telemedicine make the bi-weekly rule unnecessary to ensure sufficient medical direction, consultation, supervision, and medical care services in remote areas. The rule change gives facilities the flexibility to create a physician schedule based on the volume and nature of actual services offered. The new . . .