Healthcare

Change is a defining characteristic of healthcare. From technology to regulation to reimbursement, every aspect of the industry is in a constant state of evolution.

However, few things have changed healthcare as quickly and radically as the COVID-19 pandemic. Within the space of a few months, the landscape has been fundamentally reshaped. The long-term implications are still unknown, particularly in the area of physician practice acquisition.

Hundreds of physician practice acquisitions and healthcare-related transactions are in process at any given time. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the accompanying shutdown threw many such transactions into a state of uncertainty.

Recently, we spoke to Bob Homchick about today’s acquisition environment. A partner with Seattle-based Davis Wright Tremaine, Bob has played a leadership role in the American Health Law Association for many years. During our conversation, we identified six fundamental ways that COVID-19 will impact healthcare transactions currently underway, as well as those that may commence after the state of emergency ceases.

UPDATED August 11, 2020

Update: On June 25, 2020, the FCC’s COVID-19 Telehealth Program stopped accepting new applications.

COVID-19 continues to push the federal government to eliminate barriers to full-scale adoption of telehealth services.     

Following a March 17, 2020 announcement that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) would relax telehealth restrictions on Medicare and make telehealth available for a broader number of patients, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the COVID-19 Telehealth Program. 

UPDATED April 7, 2020: There have been updates to the proposed rule which can be found here. 

Telehealth services have become even more critical in caring for patients as the COVID-19 pandemic quickly evolves. In order to temporarily remove barriers to practice telehealth, the Federal Government and many States are making sweeping changes in Telehealth Waiver provisions.