CMS Expands Telehealth Options for Medicare Advantage Plans

May 27, 2020

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will allow Medicare Advantage plans to cover a wider range of telehealth services. The new rule would give Medicare Advantage plans the flexibility to count certain telehealth specialists toward network adequacy requirements, including dermatology, psychiatry, cardiology, and primary care. The agency said the changes were designed to encourage plans to give members access to telehealth and increase plan choice for those living in rural areas. It’s one of many steps the agency has taken, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, to cover more telehealth services for Medicare patients.