Preparing for the End of Telehealth Flexibilities

For the past several years, telehealth has been a lifeline expanding access, maintaining continuity of care, and helping practices manage unpredictable patient volumes. With key federal flexibilities set to expire in September 2025, the industry is bracing for a significant shift: a full return to in-person care for many non-behavioral services.

The Policy Shift: Telehealth Flexibilities Are Ending

• The federal government introduced wide-ranging telehealth accommodations during the pandemic. Some have become permanent, particularly around behavioral health, but many are temporary:
• Non-behavioral/mental health telehealth services for Medicare patients end September 30, 2025.
• Audio-only telehealth for these services will no longer be allowed after that date.
• FQHCs and RHCs can no longer serve as distant site providers for non-behavioral services past September 30, 2025.
• Behavioral/mental health telehealth remains largely permanent, with fewer geographic restrictions and audio-only allowances.

In short: while behavioral telehealth will remain accessible, non-behavioral care must return to in-person visits representing a massive operational shift for primary care, specialty groups, and multi-site practices.

Source: https://telehealth.hhs.gov/providers/telehealth-policy/telehealth-policy-updates 

What This Means for Providers

The rollback of telehealth means practices must be prepared to absorb a sharp influx of in-person visits. That creates several immediate challenges:

• Capacity strain: more patients in waiting rooms, more provider schedules stretched thin.
• Increased wait times: patients who’ve grown used to on-demand virtual visits will expect fast access in person.
• Staffing pressure: front desk, nursing, and provider teams will all face heavier in-person workloads.
• Revenue risk: bottlenecks in scheduling can mean longer cycle times, more missed appointments, and lost encounters.

Practices that don’t proactively prepare could see operational backlogs and declining patient satisfaction just as competition for access ramps up.

How DOCPACE® Helps Practices Transition Smoothly

DOCPACE® is designed to handle exactly this kind of surge. By optimizing in-person appointment flow, practices can absorb the demand without sacrificing patient experience or staff morale. Here’s how:

• Real-time schedule optimization: DOCPACE® integrates with your EMR to dynamically adjust for delays, cancellations, and no-shows keeping provider schedules full and balanced and patients informed.
• Capacity management: Predictive analytics highlight bottlenecks and underutilized slots, ensuring every available provider hour is maximized.
• Reduced no-shows & late arrivals: With automated reminders and real-time patient updates, practices can prevent wasted slots and keep patient traffic steady.
• Faster patient throughput: Streamlined workflows reduce idle provider time, shorten patient wait times, and support more encounters per day—without adding staff.

Bottom Line

The expiration of telehealth flexibilities is not just a policy change, it’s a capacity shock waiting to happen. Practices that plan ahead or can adapt quickly will be positioned to recapture revenue, improve access, and protect staff efficiency during the transition back to in-person care.

DOCPACE® ensures your schedules stay resilient, adaptable, and profitable, no matter how quickly patient volumes shift. Get in touch with us to see how!