Steven B. Haas, MD, chief of the knee service at HSS, participates in an expert panel discussion at the Becker’s Orthopedics + ASC Virtual Forum surrounding the current payer landscape for outpatient total joint replacement.

Dr. Haas explained, “It's less to do with ambulatory surgery, but the big changes for reimbursement had to do with an acceptance of telemedicine during the pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, to even see a new patient or take care of patients via telemedicine, you have to be licensed in the state that you're providing care. New York is a tristate area. We are bordered by Connecticut and we're bordered by New Jersey; those are our catchment area. At the beginning of COVID, neither the payers would pay for anybody through telemedicine and we were legally not allowed to do patients who literally were as close as Queens, but they were in New Jersey, actually probably closer. The insurers all opened up to allow that.”

Read the full article at Beckersspine.com.