Federal Telehealth Regulations in the COVID-19 Era

Federal rules for the provision of telehealth services have changed rapidly since the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic emergency. Before the pandemic, access to telehealth care for Medicare patients was restricted and funding was limited. The COVID-era CARES Act funding allocations and legislation allowing increased flexibility of telehealth policies have created more access to care, but these policy changes require Congressional action to become permanent. Faegre Drinker’s Telehealth in the Age of COVID-19 guide summarizes the past, present and potential future state of federal telehealth regulations, including the status of telehealth policies in the legislative package currently being negotiated by Congress.

For an in-depth view on current telehealth policies implemented during the COVID-19 public health emergency, please click here.

Special thanks to Faegre Drinker summer law clerk Ajda Sejdinovic, who assisted in the drafting of this alert.