We have rolled into week 6 of the government shutdown, that went into effect on October 1st. As we have report the last 3 weeks, sadly, with the government shutdown, that means that telehealth F2F flexibilities lapsed. 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.

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.

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