What is telehealth and how can I access it?

In an attempt to reduce the spread of coronavirus in physician waiting rooms, new ways of providing care are developing. In yesterday's post, I shared how some practices are offering curbside service for urgent needs. With new Medicare policy, some are also offering telehealth, the ability for medical visits or occur over the phone or through online applications. Danielle K. Roberts, an expert on Medicare, answers readers' most common questions below.

Telemedicine is when technology is used to simulate an office visit virtually. Your doctor is able to evaluate, diagnose, treat and prescribe medications, x-rays, and lab tests in the same way he could with a face-to-face visit. In its early years of use, it was meant to help more rural patients get access to their doctors without having to travel to another city. Under this new expansion, it is being used broadly to help seniors stay home and stay safe amid the coronavirus pandemic, while also keeping physicians safe.

What are the most common reasons someone would use this? What kinds of providers does telehealth cover?Telemedicine visits could be conducted for follow up visits, remote chronic disease management, post-hospital care, preventive care and more. For many seniors, this is ideal as they often have trouble getting to and from doctor’s appointments as well as being more vulnerable to contracting airborne illnesses often present in doctors’ offices. Most recently, in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak, telehealth is essential for many seniors.

How can a patient access this service?

Many health care providers have their own portal or way of having patients securely access their appointment. Certain health plans like Medicare Advantage plans may also contract with specific virtual visit providers, and if that’s the case, you can register for a member account on the insurance company’s portal to learn more about technology available to you. If not, Medicare is allowing telemedicine visits, for now, through very common program communication tools lik i.      Facetime

ii.     Skype

iii.     Google Hangouts

iv.     Zoom

Are most providers aware of this should I call and request it? Or is it just for urgent matters? If they say they haven't heard of it, is there a new Medicare code or some other kind of meaningful descriptor I should mention?Not all providers will be setup to do telehealth appointments but they may not realize it is as easy as using their mobile phone to have a video call. If you want to have a telehealth appointment just call your doctor and request it. If they seem unsure, let them know that Medicare now covers these appointments and that you have programs on your Iphone or Android or tablet that will enable this type of visit with them.

Is there a set amount of time allocated? For example, for mental health services, would a phone call be as long as a standard appointment to receive Medicare reimbursement?

There are no specific rules put out by CMS on time allocation, this would be to the doctor’s discretion and they would bill the appointment in the same way they would a face-to-face appointment.

How much does it cost?

Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, if Medicare covered a telehealth appointment, it was still subject to the standard Part B deductible and coinsurance amounts. Now, President Trump’s emergency declaration allows providers to waive the Part B coinsurance or copayments, as long as they do this across the board for all patients. So depending on your provider, you may pay little to nothing but the maximum you would pay will be no more than if you had seen that doctor in person.

Any other common questions you get?

Some are asking us if Medicare will continue to offer expanded telemedicine services after this pandemic is over. We certainly hope so but nothing has been decided regarding that yet.

Danielle K. Roberts is the Vice President and co-founder at Boomer Benefits, where her team of experts help baby boomers with their Medicare decisions nationwide.