Melissa Wong of Holland and Knight breaks down CMS’s ACCESS Model and the FDA’s Tempo Pilot Program, explaining how outcome-based payments, digital health tools, and new participation pathways could shape care delivery for Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries.

The October 14 Telehealth Working Group meeting focused on the ongoing federal government shutdown and the expiration of the Medicare telehealth waivers tied to government funding. CTeL staff explained that the continuing resolution expired October 1, halting reimbursement for many telehealth services and prompting CMS to temporarily hold Medicare telehealth claims for 10 business days pending congressional action. Members discussed the potential duration of the shutdown, possible impacts on CMS policymaking—including delays to the 2026 Physician Fee Schedule final rule—and the uncertainty of back payments if waivers are later reinstated. CTeL highlighted available resources on its Help Hub page for members navigating these issues. The group also reviewed the new $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program under the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” outlining how funds will be distributed to states and when vendors may expect RFP opportunities in 2026 once allocations are finalized.

Presentation Slides

The health wearables industry is at a critical inflection point. While fitness trackers have become commonplace, the market is now saturated, and hardware capabilities have largely converged. The real opportunity lies in a fundamental shift from simple devices to integrated, service-driven health solutions that provide actionable, human-centric insights.

Join us as Safoora Khosravi explores this next frontier of health wearables. This session will dive into how emerging consumer insights are revealing key unmet needs and innovation gaps. We will discuss the current limitations of wearable technology and examine how the convergence of advanced sensors, data analytics, and digital platforms is creating powerful new opportunities in:

Preventive Care: Moving beyond reactive health to proactive wellness.

Digital Rehabilitation: Enhancing recovery and monitoring with continuous data.

Telehealth: Creating a seamless, data-rich experience for remote patient care.

Discover how to move beyond hardware and create the integrated solutions that will define the future of health wearables. About the

Speaker: Safoora Khosravi is a leading expert in consumer health science, digital biomarkers, and health wearables. With an M.Sc. in electrical engineering and a strong research background in developing biosensors for healthcare, she provides forward-looking insights on innovations shaping the future of health and wellness. Safoora has authored over 10 peer-reviewed publications and guides leaders across the food, nutrition, and consumer health sectors.

Slides

Key Webinar Topics

• Telehealth Reimbursement and Eligibility: The presenters detailed how current telehealth reimbursement policies are set to expire on September 30th, 2025. This will lead to new restrictions, particularly for urban areas and certain provider types like physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, and audiologists. The webinar emphasized that after this date, urban patients may lose eligibility for facility-based telehealth reimbursement.

• Billing and Supervision Rules: The discussion covered new billing codes and permanent changes for 2026, including the inclusion of group therapy and specific audiology codes. It also clarified different types of healthcare supervision (general, direct, personal) and highlighted concerns about proposed restrictions on telehealth supervision for urban teaching hospitals, which could worsen physician shortages. The presenters also noted a positive development: the permanent allowance of virtual supervision via real-time audio and video for some services.

• Behavioral Health and Digital Tools: The webinar addressed extensions for behavioral health services, noting that pandemic-era flexibilities will expire on September 30th unless made permanent. A positive update was the proposed expanded coverage for remote monitoring in digital mental health.

• Request for Information (RFI) and Public Comment: A major focus of the webinar was the need for attendees to act. The presenters stressed the importance of commenting on the proposed rule before the September 12th deadline. Specific RFIs discussed included the valuation of practice expenses for AI and software as a service, the valuation differences between remote patient monitoring (RPM) and remote therapeutic monitoring (RTM), and digital tools for promoting healthy lifestyles.

Call to Action

The webinar ended with a clear set of next steps, urging all attendees to submit comments to CMS on several key proposals, including:

• Upcoming telehealth restrictions.

• Physician supervision rules for urban teaching hospitals.

• The display of practice locations on patient statements.

• Behavioral health in-person requirements.

• The various RFIs related to practice expense valuation and digital health.

In this must-attend session, Kaushal will pull back the curtain on the journey of autonomous AI in healthcare, from inception to global impact. You'll gain a strategic understanding of how AI is revolutionizing diagnostics, treatment, and patient access, while also learning to navigate the crucial regulatory and reimbursement pathways essential for successful deployment.

Download the Slides

The meeting focused on discussing a CMS Request for Information (RFI) regarding the digital health ecosystem, with Igor presenting key aspects and considerations for stakeholder responses. Topics covered included the purpose and scope of the RFI, relevant agencies and individuals involved, legal frameworks, and important themes such as data integration, patient access, and interoperability. The discussion also addressed strategies for submitting effective comments, potential areas for improvement in healthcare data exchange, and the importance of advocating for telehealth inclusion in rural areas.

The webinar focused on Medicare enrollment and reassignment challenges for virtual and hybrid care providers, highlighting the complexities arising from the shift to distributed healthcare models. Patrick Cunningham, an expert in virtual care, discussed the importance of aligning provider locations with Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) for proper billing and reimbursement, as well as recent guidance from CMS to address these issues. The discussion also covered potential improvements to recognize virtual clinics and the need for organizations to navigate conflicting MAC advice and complex processes in the evolving landscape of virtual healthcare. Patricks Slides.