Originally, the telehealth flexibilities implemented during COVID were set to expire the end of March 2025. On March 15, 2025 Congress passed the Full Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act 2025 which included language to extend the temporary telehealth waivers through September 30, 2025.
Included in these flexibilities is the ability for hospice organizations to perform face-to-face recertifications through telehealth. Also included in the waivers is the expanded scope of practitioners who can provide telehealth services, the removal of geographic requirements and expanded the originating sites for telehealth services including the home, federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics.
Several National Organizations including the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) and the National Alliance for Care at Home among others will continue to work with Congress to make the telehealth waivers permanent. This will require action from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
