Alliance Submits Comments in Response to CMS RFI on Medicare Advantage

The Alliance for Connected Care submitted comments in response to the request for information from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on the Medicare Advantage (MA) program.

The Alliance specifically commented on the role that telehealth has played in providing access to care in the MA program and key policy considerations for CMS to ensure this care modality is available and effectively utilized within the MA program moving forward. Top recommendations to CMS include:

Move forward with dramatic expansions to the use of telehealth to meet network adequacy requirements;
Clarify that the use of diagnoses obtained through audio-visual telehealth for risk adjustment purposes will continue after the end of the PHE; and
Promote additional paths to access practitioners across state lines by supporting licensure portability and ensuring that these providers count toward appropriate network adequacy requirements.

The Alliance believes telehealth has the potential to broaden access to care and improve patient engagement. It is imperative to ensure critical telehealth services continue to be available to MA beneficiaries, especially those in underserved communities, once the public health emergency ends.

To read the full letter, click here or see below: