Physician Law Blog
March 18, 2020
OIG Allows Reduction/Waiver of Patient Cost-Sharing Obligations for Telehealth Services
On March 17, 2020, the Office of Inspector General issued a policy statement which permits telehealth providers to reduce or waive cost-sharing requirements (like copayments and deductibles) Federal health care program beneficiaries may owe for telehealth services. Usually, such reductions or waivers can implicate various fraud and abuse laws, including the anti-kickback statute, civil monetary penalty and exclusion laws related to kickbacks, and the civil monetary penalty law prohibition on inducements to beneficiaries.