Resources & Reports

Policymakers have typically been cautious about enacting extensive regulations around artificial intelligence (AI), but as AI becomes more common, meaningful policy changes have gradually been accelerating. CCHP is currently monitoring 94 pending policies at both the state and federal levels regarding AI and healthcare through its Telehealth Legislation and Regulation tracker. Most significant AI policy adoption has occurred at the state level thus far, and recent AI developments at the federal level continue to focus around a largely deregulatory approach to its use.

As telehealth utilization and policies continue to adjust to ensure patient access to remote care, recent research and resources have been released, which highlight telehealth’s ability to improve chronic illness management and prevention. Addressing the rise in chronic conditions and improving the overall health of Americans has also been a strong focus of the new federal administration, as can be seen through the recent establishment of the Make America Healthy Again Commission and the restructuring of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) around the priority of ending chronic illness in America. Telehealth also appears poised to serve a promising role in the process, as covered in the research and resources below, though telehealth policy must be considered carefully to ensure telehealth remains fully accessible.

CCHP’s April newsletter is here! This month’s topics include – Medicare Telehealth Extension & Updates on CMS Telehealth Materials; School Psychologists Licensure Interstate Compact; The Broadband Gap Blocking Telehealth Access; Latest Developments in CCHP’s Telehealth Policy Finder and Policy Trend Map; Automation in the Medicaid Prior Authorization Process; New York Blocks Texas Lawsuit Against Telehealth Abortion Provider; Tele-Buprenorphine Initiations for Opioid Use Disorder.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently released an additional extension of the effective date for two previously published federal final rules:

• Expansion of Buprenorphine Treatment via Telemedicine Encounter (Now Effective December 31, 2025)
• Continuity of Care via Telemedicine for Veterans Affairs Patients (Now Effective December 31, 2025)

With the recent extension of the telehealth waivers (until September 30, 2025) to allow services to continue being reimbursed without stringent rural and facility-based requirements, one key distinction deserves attention: Communication Technology-Based Services (CTBS). The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) separated CTBS from traditional telehealth in 2019 when they announced through their 2019 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) reimbursement for remote services that do not fall under “Medicare telehealth services.” These services, although delivered in an electronic format, don’t qualify as telehealth (in Medicare’s eyes) and providers won’t find the majority of these CTBS codes on the list of services eligible for telehealth coverage in Medicare.