Protecting Access to Post-COVID–19 Telehealth Act of 2020
This bill modifies requirements relating to coverage of telehealth services under Medicare.
Specifically, the bill (1) authorizes the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to generally waive coverage restrictions during national emergencies, (2) allows rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers to serve as the distant site (i.e., the location of the health care practitioner), (3) removes restrictions that require the originating site (i.e., the location of the beneficiary) to be in a rural area, and (3) allows the home of a beneficiary to serve as the originating site for all services (rather than for only certain services).
Additionally, the CMS must report on the utilization of telehealth services specifically during the public health emergency relating to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019).