Telehealth & Medicare

Telehealth includes medical or behavioral health services delivered via audio/video communication, or—where allowed—audio-only technology. Examples include virtual office visits, counseling, consultations, and evaluations. 

Beginning October 1, 2025, Medicare will no longer cover general video telehealth visits for routine care. After that date, for most telehealth services, you will generally need to be in a rural medical facility or office for your visit to qualify for Medicare coverage.

However, some telehealth services will still be covered regardless of location, including mental/behavioral health, certain dialysis-related visits, and acute stroke evaluations.  

No. Some services will continue to be covered, related to behavioral health, home dialysis oversight, or urgent conditions (e.g., stroke evaluation).

Virtual urgent care video visits will no longer be covered by Medicare after October 1, 2025. 

Appointments scheduled for dates on or after October 1, 2025 will not be reimbursed by Medicare under the old rules. You should check with your provider to see if your visit needs to be rescheduled or converted to in-person. 

Yes. You will be required to sign an Advance Beneficiary Notice of Non-coverage (ABN), which you will need to review, select the appropriate option, sign the document, and return to your provider before your telehealth visit is performed.  A good faith deposit will be collected at the time of your telehealth visit.

Medicare Advantage plans may offer telehealth benefits beyond what Original Medicare covers. Always check your plan documents or contact your plan to see if your telehealth services are still included. 

• Review your Medicare benefits summary or contact Medicare to understand your coverage.
• Talk with your health care provider about converting telehealth visits to in-person visits if necessary.
• Watch for updates on Valley Medical Center’s website and on Medicare’s website.