We have rolled into week 3 of the never ending government shutdown that went into effect on October 1^st. As we wrote last week, sadly, with the government shutdown that meant that telehealth F2F flexibilities lapsed. As we stated before, effective 12:00 a.m. on October 1st, F2F encounters for certification and recertification must be conducted in person. Audio-visual telehealth is no longer acceptable to meet this requirement.

There have been no signs over the last week that congressional leadership or the White House are looking to end this government shutdown anytime soon. Senate and House GOP leadership has floated that if Democrats vote to re-open the government, they may be open to a vote on extending the ACA credit extension (sticking point holding up vote) after. But Democrats have rebuffed this approach, saying they want a guarantee in the budget that the credits will be extended.

In the meantime MassHealth policy now requires in-person F2F encounters for both home health and hospice, and telehealth may still be used for other visits in special situations, but agencies should not rely on telehealth as a substitute for routine in-person care.