The End of COVID-Era Telehealth Flexibilities
What Providers Need to Know
Starting October 1, 2025, all the Medicare telehealth changes that were effective before the COVID-19 PHE will roll back, resulting in billing changes and shrinking of telehealth reimbursements. This will impact everything from patient scheduling to cash flow. In this blog let us explore the changes effected, their impacts on providers, best strategies and practices that can be adopted and how healthcare providers can prepare themselves to avoid service disruption, denial risk, and revenue loss by partnering with Shoreline Healthcare Technologies.
What is the Telehealth Policy cliff?
During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, Medicare and regulatory agencies had granted wide telehealth waivers that allowed patients to receive care at home, permitted the use of audio-only calls, removed the geographic restrictions, and expanded the provider types who can bill for telehealth. Most of these emergency flexibilities are temporary and with no further legislative action, all this telehealth flexibilities expired on September 30, 2025, resulting in a telehealth policy cliff.
The Key Telehealth Changes
Originating site restrictions and geographic limitations on telehealth
The pre-pandemic geographic and originating site restrictions will return for most of the Medicare telehealth services. This means Medicare will no longer reimburse providers for telehealth visits conducted at the patient’s home for non-behavioral or non-mental telehealth services. However, there is no restriction on behavioral/mental telehealth services and patients can continue to receive these services from the comfort of their home and will be reimbursed for the same.
Change in Eligible providers for telehealth services
Physical therapists, Occupational therapists, and Speech language pathologists will no longer be qualified for getting Medicare telehealth reimbursements.
Prescription of controlled substances
DEA had created temporary flexibilities allowing practitioners to prescribe controlled substances via telemedicine without an in-person evaluation during the COVID-19, provided they met certain conditions. And these telemedicine flexibilities have been temporarily extended till December 31, 2025.
What are the impacts on providers due to the telehealth policy cliff 2025?
The telehealth policy changes will affect the providers and the way of delivering and billing for virtual care. This could lead to revenue loss, compliance issues, and limited access for patients.
Reduced Reimbursement
Many telehealth services that were reimbursed during the PHE may no longer qualify reducing the revenue streams for smaller practices and rural clinics. With restrictions in audio-only visits and at-home telehealth coverage providers may face financial burdens.
Compliance Pressure
Providers must comply with originating site restrictions and geographic limitations on telehealth. And non-compliance might increase the risk of telehealth audit and penalties.
Billing & Coding Complexity
The CMS have updated the billing rules resulting in more frequent denials for claims not following the update. Providers must update their billing workflows and use the correct use of place of service (POS) codes to ensure clean claims.
Patient Access & Care Delivery
Patients like rural residents, seniors, and with mobility challenges may lose at-home telehealth visits and be required to travel originating sites, reducing their convenience and continuity of care.
Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) Risk
Practices may face disruptions with loss of reimbursement and increased claim denials directly threatening their cash flow. Revenue instability can reduce investments in staffing, technology, and patient care programs. We at Shoreline Healthcare Technologies have been monitoring the CMS telehealth updates in real time and ensures providers bill under the correct codes and modifiers to maximize reimbursement. Our latest press release highlights how Shoreline Healthcare Technologies is investing in next-generation RCM solutions, advanced compliance safeguards, and patient engagement tools that are designed to help providers adapt quickly to any regulatory shifts. By combining real-time CMS policy monitoring and proactive revenue cycle strategies, we always make sure that your practice stays ahead of any changes, avoiding costly denials.
Telehealth contingency plan
Audit Telehealth patient volume:
Identify all patients who are receiving telehealth services at their home and receiving audio-only visits irrespective of the payer mix.
Review upcoming appointments:
Prioritize telehealth visits that might be ineligible and flag for rescheduling or conversion.
Update billing rules:
Adjust POS codes, modifiers and place-of-service templates, to ensure compliance with new rules.
Train staff & clinicians:
Educate on new Medicare telehealth changes 2025, documentation standards, and redeploy workflows.
Patient communication:
Send notices, emails and messages explaining the changes and the other options available.
Document thoroughly:
Document patient consent, technical limitations, and clinical justification for all audio-only calls.
Appeals & denials workflow:
Build a process to appeal rejected telehealth claims and act immediately.
Reassess service mix:
Consider shifting services that may lose virtual coverage back to hybrid or in-person models.
Shoreline Healthcare Technologies, Telehealth Transition Partne
We at Shoreline Healthcare Technologies understands the risks and complexities of the telehealth policy cliff and support providers with best strategies to make this transition smooth and faster.
- ✔ We help to conduct telehealth exposure audits and map the patient base with telehealth volume, so that providers can segment high-risk specialties first (behavioral health, rehabilitation, chronic care) and put them on faster transition tracks.
- ✔ Our team implements all POS code changes, modifier logic, ABN workflows, and appeals systems and stay updated with all coding and billing changes.
- ✔ We provide clinicians and billing team with compliance & training packages, checklists, and documentation standards.
- ✔ Our virtual assistants will provide a clear communication to the patients answering all their queries offering 24/7 support to reduce confusion and no-shows.
FAQs
Q1. Will audio-only telehealth still be reimbursed after 2025?
+The coverage for audio-only telehealth services is reduced. Some behavioral health services are eligible for audio-only reimbursements under certain criteria, always check the CMS update before offering the service.
Q2. Does FQHCs and RHCs can get reimbursement for telehealth services?
+Yes. Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics will get reimbursements for telehealth services, but not at the same levels as allowed during the PHE.
Q3. What are the eligible originating sites?
+Physician or Practitioner Offices, any hospitals settings like inpatient, outpatient, or critical access, Rural Health Clinics , Federally Qualified Health Centers, Nursing Facilities, Hospital-Based Renal Dialysis Centers, Independent Renal Dialysis Facilities and Community Mental Health Centers.
Q4. Is ShorelineMB the same as Shoreline Healthcare Technologies?
+Yes, ShorelineMB.com is the official website of Shoreline Healthcare Technologies, a leading provider of medical billing and RCM services.
Sharanya Rajmohan
Content Writer
Sharanya brings clarity to the complexities of medical billing and healthcare regulations. With a knack for turning industry shifts into straightforward, actionable insights, her blogs help readers stay informed without the jargon.
Contact Shoreline Healthcare Technologies to scale your telehealth practices.