A step in the right direction for telemedicine

Is this the long-awaited breakthrough moment for telehealth? A recently-finalized rule implements a significant telemedicine expansion for Medicare Advantage plans. (See presser, fact sheet, and final Medicare Advantage telemedicine rule.) Telemedicine or telehealth benefits may now be included in core Medicare Advantage plan benefits, not just offered as supplemental benefits.

In the first edition of my column for Inside Digital Health, I wrote about this news and some implications for the healthcare provider community seeking to use this change to better serve the Medcare Advantage market.