Medicare Reimbursement

In 1997, the Balanced Budget Act (BBA) authorized Medicare to reimburse for telehealth services, but with a very limited focus. Almost immediately efforts were organized to expand and revise this focus. Subsequently the Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000 (BIPA) amended the Social Security Act to expand the focus. Serious limitations remained. These limitations impacted geographic location, originating sites and eligible services.
Since 2000, improvements to Medicare reimbursement for telehealth services have been few and slow in coming. The most significant change occurred in July 2008, when Congress overrode a Presidential veto of H.R. 6331. Included in this bill were provisions for reimbursement of three additional originating sites. On January 1, 2011 the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) added six new services to its reimbursement list.  The American Telemedicine Association has prepared a list of proposed additions for CMS to consider in 2012.  

Medicare has become the de facto standard for reimbursement for many Medicaid programs and private payers.

Additional resources can be found below.