Telehealth Updates
This article will provide the most recent updates to our previous post on telehealth coverage and the recent government shutdown.
What You Need to Know
Earlier this year, Congress passed a bill that temporarily extended Medicare telehealth flexibilities until the end of September. These flexibilities expired on October 1, 2025 as a result of the government shutdown. On November 12, 2025, Congress passed the Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act, 2026, which ended the shutdown and retroactively reinstated telehealth flexibilities from October 1, 2025, until January 30, 2026. These flexibilities include:
- Removal of geographic requirements: the patient is not required to be in a rural area to receive telehealth services
- Expansion of originating sites: the patient is not required to be in a health facility when receiving telehealth services
- Expansion of eligible practitioners: additional providers are allowed to perform telehealth services, including physical and occupational therapists
- Expansion of audio-only services: audio-only telehealth services are eligible for reimbursement
What This Means for You
The telehealth flexibilities that have been in place since the COVID-19 pandemic were retroactively reinstated and are now extended until the end of January. Therefore, all Medicare beneficiaries can continue to receive orthotic and prosthetic prescriptions from telehealth visits with their treating physician, including any visits that occurred during the government shutdown starting on October 1. It is still possible that there will be changes again next year, but the previous rules and regulations remain unchanged for at least another two and a half months. We will continue to update you regarding any future developments as they become available.