21st Century Cures Act a boon to telehealth, experts say

Healthcare IT News: The 21st Century Cures Act, enacted this week, gained attention by allocating $6.3 billion for electronic health records, precision medicine, mental health and to fight opioid abuse. Yet a less-publicized provision in the nearly 1,000 pages of legislation promises to have a significant impact by increasing access of Medicare beneficiaries to telehealth services.

The legislation requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) to report to Congress on the current and potential uses of telehealth in the Medicare program and to assist Congress in its ongoing assessment of Medicare coverage of telehealth services.

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