Excerpt of a contributed article published in Medical Economics on August 13, 2020.

The public health emergency (PHE) caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in systemic changes throughout the nation’s health care system. Almost overnight, health systems, providers and the government were forced to collaborate to ‘stand up’ field hospitals, testing sites, and quarantine procedures, while postponing or cancelling certain elective procedures and ceasing in-person encounters. One of the most significant developments in the response to COVID-19 has been government support for the expansion of telehealth services, which represents a significant departure from longstanding resistance – in the form of regulatory restrictions, payment policies, licensure restrictions, and privacy concerns – to the provision of health care via telehealth. Most recently, the President issued an Executive Order that directs the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to propose regulations to codify some of the key telehealth changes, and notes that almost half of Medicare fee-for-service primary care visits during the month of April were provided via telehealth.

This article provides a high-level overview of those changes, highlights key issues for health care providers to monitor as federal and state governments, physicians and patients continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, and considers how the post-COVID-19 health care landscape will look for telehealth services. Read the full article.

Photo of Conor Duffy Conor Duffy

Conor Duffy is a member of Robinson+Cole’s Health Law Group and the firm’s Data Privacy + Security Team. Mr. Duffy advises hospitals, physician groups, accountable care organizations, community providers, post-acute care providers, and other health care entities on general corporate matters and health…

Conor Duffy is a member of Robinson+Cole’s Health Law Group and the firm’s Data Privacy + Security Team. Mr. Duffy advises hospitals, physician groups, accountable care organizations, community providers, post-acute care providers, and other health care entities on general corporate matters and health care issues. He provides legal counsel on a full range of transactional and regulatory health law issues, including contracting, licensure, mergers and acquisitions, the False Claims Act, the Stark Law, Medicare and Medicaid fraud and abuse laws and regulations, HIPAA compliance, state breach notification requirements, and other health care regulatory matters. Read his full rc.com bio here.

Photo of Peter Struzzi Peter Struzzi

Peter Struzzi has represented and advised hospitals, health systems and other health care entities on a variety of health law and business issues over his more than 30-year career. His practice focuses on health care-related contractual, transactional and regulatory matters. Prior to joining…

Peter Struzzi has represented and advised hospitals, health systems and other health care entities on a variety of health law and business issues over his more than 30-year career. His practice focuses on health care-related contractual, transactional and regulatory matters. Prior to joining the firm, Peter served as Vice President and General Counsel of a hospital and health system in Connecticut. Read his full rc.com bio.