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Hello,

In the 2025 final rule, CMS states they will continue to define direct supervision to permit the presence and “immediate availability” of the supervising practitioner through real-time audio and visual interactive telecommunications through December 31, 2025.

Is there a rule on how the real-time audio and visual telecommunications can be provided? For example, can the doctor use FaceTime or Teams? Or can they only use an EMR system to meet HIPAA compliance?

Thank you.

 

[jkyles]

Hello,

In the 2025 final rule, CMS states they will continue to define direct supervision to permit the presence and “immediate availability” of the supervising practitioner through real-time audio and visual interactive telecommunications through December 31, 2025.

Is there a rule on how the real-time audio and visual telecommunications can be provided? For example, can the doctor use FaceTime or Teams? Or can they only use an EMR system to meet HIPAA compliance?

Thank you.

The connection must be HIPAA compliant. I think Teams has a HIPAA compliant version, especially since Microsoft is rolling Skype into it but you'd need to set that up with your vendor.

There was a waiver during the COVID-19 PHE that allowed providers to use some non-compliant platforms but that expired in August 2023.