New CMS FAQ on 2026 Telehealth

CMS released an updated Telehealth FAQ on November 20, 2025, with information regarding the CY 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule and telehealth flexibility extensions through January 30, 2026. The FAQ includes clarifications that respond to concerns raised by MGMA members, including:

• Retroactive Billing During Government Shutdown: CMS clarified that telehealth services provided during the recent government shutdown will be paid as if there had been no lapse in telehealth flexibilities. Telehealth flexibilities apply retroactively through January 30, 2026, and claims will continue to be processed in the same manner as before October 1, 2025.
• Home Enrollment for Telehealth Services: CMS confirmed that distant site practitioners can provide telehealth services from their home and, in many cases, do not need to report their home address on their Medicare enrollment application.
  • Practitioners who furnish telehealth services from home but maintain a physical practice location are not required to list their home address. They may enroll and bill from their physical practice location as if the telehealth service were furnished in person.
  • Virtual-only telehealth practitioners whose only physical practice location is their home must enroll their home address as a practice location. CMS instructs these practitioners to mark the address as a “Home office for administrative/telehealth use only” in their enrollment application to suppress street address details on the CMS Care Compare website. Practitioners may also email QPP@cms.hhs.gov to suppress the street address and/or phone number.

See more information on Medicare Telehealth Coverage here.