March 17 - In a press conference today, President Donald J. Trump announced enhancement of telehealth services and loosening of CMS regulations for Medicare to help reduce burdens on the health system. Efforts to care for those via technology comes as Emergency Departments are seeing large numbers of patients worried about COVID-19. Currently, more than 4,500 cases have been diagnosed in the United States and the number of deaths now approaches 100.

"Administrator Verma took strong steps today to enhance the nation's digital healthcare capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic by lifting Medicare restrictions on the use of certain telemedicine services. The American Medical Association (AMA) applauds this important Medicare policy change to support social distancing measures that slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, while providing safe screening and treatment to patients through remote care," said AMA President Patrice A. Harris, MD, MA, in a statement. "The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) also noted that penalties will not be imposed on physicians using telehealth in the event of noncompliance with regulatory requirements under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The AMA had urged the administration to be flexible, and the steps CMS has taken demonstrate the agency was listening.

Harris continued, "The use of telemedicine and remote care services are critical to the management of the COVID-19, while also ensuring uninterrupted care for 100 million Americans with chronic conditions. The AMA encourages any private payers that are not already covering telehealth services to remove those limitations now. The AMA stands ready to help physicians expand their use of telemedicine and continues to invest in resources that provide physicians with a proven path for integrating telemedicine and digital health technologies into patient care."

(Please see link at the top of this page or click here for the complete statement and links to physician telehealth resources)

In addition to the health crisis, COVID-19 has sparked a global economic crisis. During the press conference, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced a number of fiscal policy decisions to help cushion the economy. By 11:20 am Central, the Dow Jones was up about 1,000 points from yesterday. Mnuchin also said he is working closely with Congress on relief measures for the millions of Americans whose work has been disrupted by the virus, causing financial hardships. He added those measures could include directly sending checks to Americans. Touching on payroll tax cuts, Mnuchin said he realizes that would take time to be felt (and would not help those who aren't getting a paycheck in the wake of coronavirus layoffs). "Americans need cash now," Mnuchin said, adding he is looking at relief efforts that will go into effect very quickly.