OIG Telehealth Provided to Medicare Beneficiaries Complied with Medicare Requirements

Office of Inspector General (OIG): Telehealth Provided to Medicare Beneficiaries Complied with Medicare Requirements

From March 2020 through November 2020 (audit period), Medicare Part B paid approximately $10.3 billion for Evaluation and Management (E/M) services, including telehealth services, provided to Medicare enrollees nationwide. There were concerns that the telehealth expansion increased the risk of inappropriate payments in the Medicare program. However, the OIG found that providers generally met Medicare requirements when billing for E/M services provided via telehealth and unallowable payments that were identified resulted primarily from clerical errors or the inability to access records.