Medicare's Telehealth In-Person Rule Moved to 2028. Here's What to Update on Your Website

Why this is confusing

If you read earlier this year that the in-person rule kicked in on January 31, 2026, you weren't imagining it. That was the plan. Plenty of billing blogs said so, and some still do.

Then Congress pushed it back. CMS updated its telehealth FAQ in October 2026, and the requirement now takes effect after December 31, 2027. So the guidance most practices built around in early 2026 has shifted, again.

This is not billing or legal advice. Check with your biller, and read the CMS FAQ yourself before you change anything.

What the rules say right now

Here's the plain version, based on the CMS FAQ updated October 8, 2026:

• Video sessions from home: Medicare clients can get mental health care at home, anywhere in the US, with no rural requirement. Congress made this permanent back in 2021.
• In-person before the first session: For new clients, an in-person visit within six months before the first telehealth session. This only applies after December 31, 2027.
• Clients who start before 2028: They count as established. No six-month rule for them, but they'll need at least one in-person visit every 12 months after December 31, 2027.
• Who can do the in-person visit: If the treating clinician isn't available, a colleague of the same specialty in the same group practice can.
• Phone-only sessions: Allowed from home through 2027. From 2028, only when you can offer video but the client can't use it or doesn't consent to it.

One more thing worth saying on your site: licensed professional counselors and marriage and family therapists have been able to bill Medicare since 2024. Plenty of older adults still don't know that.

What to update on your website

Your telehealth page does two jobs. It tells a 70-year-old searching for help that you can see them from their living room. And it sets honest expectations so nobody's surprised in 2028.

1. Say you see Medicare clients, if you do. Right near the top, not buried in an FAQ.
2. Name the states you're licensed in. Telehealth follows the client's location, so a client in another state usually needs you licensed there.
3. Say where clients can see you in person. An office address, or a note that in-person visits happen at a partner location. If you're fully virtual, say that too, and say how you'll handle the yearly visit from 2028.
4. Mention phone sessions honestly. "Phone sessions are available for Medicare clients through 2027" is better than a vague promise.
5. Date your Medicare wording. "As of October 2026" tells readers (and Google) you keep the page current. Link to the CMS FAQ.
6. Skip absolute promises. "Telehealth forever, never any office visits" may not hold for Medicare clients in 2028.

A sample FAQ answer you can adapt

Short, honest, dated. That's the whole trick.

Put a reminder in your calendar

These dates have moved more than once, and they may move again. Set a reminder for each November, when Medicare publishes its yearly physician fee schedule, and again in late 2027. Ten minutes rereading one page beats a confused client call in January 2028.

Quick checklist

• Telehealth page says whether you see Medicare clients
• States you're licensed in are listed
• In-person location (or plan) is stated
• Phone-session note is accurate through 2027
• Medicare FAQ answer is dated and links to CMS
• Calendar reminders set for November and late 2027

Not sure your telehealth page is saying the right thing? Book a free call and we'll read it with you.