News: CMS loosens requirements for COVID-19 tests, increases payments for telehealth

CMS announced that it will no longer require written physician orders to allow Medicare beneficiaries to be tested for COVID-19. Ordinarily, a patient required an order from a physician of other practitioner overseeing their care. CMS eased these requirements to make for easier to administer drive-thru and parking lot testing facilities.

Under the new testing requirements, pharmacists can now work with physicians to assess patients and perform tests if they are enrolled in Medicare as a laboratory. If not, pharmacists are still able to collect specimens for testing.

Additionally, CMS said it will now cover certain antibody tests and processing for home tests that have been approved by the FDA.

The testing updates were included among other regulatory changes. CMS also increased the number of services covered in audio-only telephone visits to include behavioral health and patient education services.

CMS noted it will also retroactively (to March 1) increase the payment rate for telephone visits to match those for similar office care. This came after, though not directly linked to, much criticism from providers not receiving full reimbursement for telehealth visits as previously told.

From a CDI perspective, this retroactive payment increase may be an avenue into expanded chart reviews and an additional way for CDI professionals to help their organizations. As many healthcare organizations have faced furloughs due to the decreased censuses and cancelled elective, non-emergent procedures and visits, reviewing telehealth records may be a way to keep CDI professionals in the “essential worker” category and shore up the organizations’ bottom lines.

Editor’s note: The CMS press release can be found here. To read the rest of ACDIS’ coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, click here. Don’t forget to respond to our newest poll on CDI reviews of telehealth documentation! Click here to weigh in today.