May 1, 2020 5:00 pm Health Policy | Patient Management | Telehealth New CMS Waivers and Rules CMS yesterday announced a number of new regulatory waivers and rule changes to provide flexibility during the COVID-19 pandemic. The actions include changes making it easier for beneficiaries to obtain COVID-19 testing, further expanding billable Medicare telehealth services and increasing payments for audio-only telephone visits, and making modifications to the Medicare Shared Savings Program, including changes to account for the disparate impact of COVID-19 costs on participating ACOs. SHARE News & Knowledge All Curi recommendations are based on current CDC criteria at the time of publication. CDC guidance for SARS-CoV-2 infection may, or may not, be adopted by state and local health departments to respond to rapidly changing local circumstances. Providers should always check with their local health department to see if the CDC’s guidance on any given topic has been modified (particularly if more restrictive) from the CDC’s recommended guidelines. Follow this link https://www.cdc.gov/publichealthgateway/healthdirectories/index.html for contact information to your state/local health department. If local recommendations vary from those of the CDC, and you are unsure what recommendations to follow, then it is safer to follow the more restrictive guidelines/recommendations.