On January 30, 2023, President Biden announced the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) will end on May 11, 2023. This announcement comes after the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra extended the PHE earlier in January.

During the PHE, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) temporarily approved several telehealth flexibilities. The Omnibus that passed at the end of 2022 extended these telehealth flexibilities for two years; they are set to expire December 31, 2024.

While the Association for Clinical Oncology has been advocating for permanent extension of telehealth flexibilities, the two-year extension allows Congress time to study how telehealth is being used, create parameters to avoid abuse, and identify a way to pay for the permanent expansion.