Another small step for remote monitoring and visits. Late last week, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a limited expansion of telehealth (remote patient visits) coverage as part of the Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) model. In 2020, plans can apply to use telehealth as part of their coverage. According to the CMS release, Medicare Advantage (MA) is testing a new series of service delivery approaches, including “increasing access to telehealth services by allowing plans to use access to telehealth services instead of in-person visits, as long as an in-person option remains, to meet a range of network requirements, including certain requirements that could not previously be fulfilled through telehealth.” Other MA additions under the VBID mode include expanded rewards and incentives for beneficiaries for health improvement, and reduced cost sharing and additional benefits to enrollees, including those around chronic conditions or socio-economic status, such as aid around social determinants of health.
The VBID model is administered under CMS’ Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (Innovation Center, also CMMI), which tests innovative payment and service delivery models to lower costs and improve the quality of care. It began in 2017. The CMS VBID page lists 14 participating plans concentrated in a few states; however, it was open to 25 states this year. The 2020 model expands to 50 states under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 plus will accept other MA plan types such as Special Needs Plans and Regional PPOs. Applications will start later this year. CMS press release, mHealth Intelligence
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