The COVID-19 crisis has taught us to adapt. Whether it’s spending time with friends and family over video chat, or learning in virtual classrooms, technology has allowed us to maintain some aspects of normalcy in a decidedly difficult time. Telehealth has become more important than ever, and an unprecedented number of patients have relied on virtual care.

To protect vulnerable patients, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have been expanding telehealth services under Medicare and Medicaid. During the COVID-19 crisis, Medicare alone has added 135 new virtual services, such as eye exams and ventilator management, among others.

In the last week of April, nearly 1.7 million beneficiaries received telehealth services, up from only 13,000 beneficiaries per week prior to the COVID-19 crisis. In total, over nine million beneficiaries have received a telehealth service during the public health emergency since mid-March through mid-June. You can read more about CMS’s telehealth expansions here.

If you are not a beneficiary, you still may be able to access additional telehealth services during the COVID-19 crisis. Learn more about non-Medicare telehealth options at: www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hblog20200715.454789/full/.

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