older woman in telehealth appointment
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The Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program’s telehealth capabilities will not cease when the public health emergency is allowed to sunset in nine days, allowing program providers more time to resume in-person services. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposed a new rule Friday to extend the program’s use of telehealth services beyond the end of the PHE declaration on May 11, the InsideHealthPolicy news service reported. 

“Given the 3-year duration of the COVID-19 public health emergency, we anticipate that MDPP suppliers will need time following the end of the COVID-19 PHE to resume in-person services for reasons that may include securing an available physical location that meets organizational and beneficiary needs, recruiting coaches, educating new and existing beneficiaries about in-person sessions, and adjusting messaging regarding the delivery modality of MDPP,” the proposed rule states.

CMS suspended in-person delivery of MDPP services during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and replaced them with telehealth services. The agency wants to continue those flexibilities through Dec. 31.

CMS says it could take at least six additional months to adequately prepare to resume in-person services, according to the InsideHealthPolicy report.

The US Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights issued a news release regarding the end to COVID-19 PHE on April 11 with respect to HIPAA rules surrounding telehealth. The OCR stated that covered healthcare providers would be given a 90-calendar day transition period to come in compliance with the HIPAA rules with respect to their provision of telehealth.

“OCR is continuing to support the use of telehealth after the public health emergency by providing a transition period for healthcare providers to make any changes to their operations that are needed to provide telehealth in a private and secure manner in compliance with the HIPAA rules,” OCR Director Melanie Fontes Rainer said in the release.