Health systems pause Medicare telehealth visits during government shutdown

Some health systems have started pausing telehealth visits for Medicare beneficiaries as the government shutdown continues. Pandemic-era telehealth flexibilities expired Oct. 1 with the federal government stoppage, stopping CMS reimbursement for many virtual visits. While many health systems are still waiting for a resolution between Congress and President Donald Trump, some organizations have begun to suspend telehealth access for Medicare and Medicaid patients. The American Telemedicine Association estimates that about 30% of hospitals and health systems are halting their Medicare telehealth offerings during the shutdown.

“Providence proactively prepared for telehealth services to return to prepandemic guidelines, which limited the type of telehealth services that qualify for reimbursem