Office, Tele-Visits & Yoga Status

Updated June 20, 2022

The section below collects rules on Telemedicine by the various Insurance Plans (as we find them!)

Medicare Rules on Telemedicine:

Televisits (telehealth encounters) can occur by phone (called/coded a “check-in“, 5-10 minutes), by audio-visual (via Skype, Facetime, Duo, called/uses regular office codes, 15-40 minutes) or by email (called/coded an “evisit“).

While tele-health “office” visits usually have significant restrictions, during this Health Emergency, several of those restrictions are waived. Medicare providers (doctors) and members (patients) are allowed to have visits:

while the doctor and patient are at home
out of state as long as the doctor is licensed in the state s/he resides
without a prior established relationship

Check-ins, limited to 5-10 minutes, are only for that, to determine if a visit is needed or a quick question. They cannot follow a visit within __ days.

Email contacts must be 1) initiated by the patient, and 2) use a patient portal.

Certain HIPAA (Privacy) rules are also relaxed (see below).

Dr. Cheikin is offering check-in and office visits, not email at present.

Please check back for updates.

Yoga class is being offered by Zoom and in-person by appointment. Click here for more information.

CMS/Medicare

Medicare on telehealth

CMS Medicare Telemedicine Provider Fact Sheet 3/17/2020 (link) pdf

CMS Telemedicine FAQs 3/6/2020

CMS General Telemedicine Toolkit_30 march 2020

!!_CMS Telehealth Booklet (13pp) March 2020

allowed technologies from 3.17.20 COVID 19 Telehealth Waiver FAQ Final