Telehealth and Hybrid Primary Care in Florida (2026): Recruiting Around the Medicare Telehealth Cliff
As we turned the calendar to 2026, the Florida healthcare market hit what many have called the “Medicare Telehealth Cliff.” After years of pandemic-era flexibilities, several key Medicare provisions expired on January 30, 2026. For organizations engaged in telehealth primary care Florida 2026, this transition has fundamentally changed the way we design jobs and recruit physicians.
At MASC Medical, we are seeing that the most resilient Florida practices are those that haven’t abandoned telehealth, but have instead integrated it into a sophisticated “Hybrid Care” model. This post explains the new 2026 rules, how they impact your family medicine jobs in Florida, and how to recruit PCPs who thrive in this evolving landscape.
What Changed on January 31, 2026 (Plain-English)
The “cliff” that arrived on January 31, 2026, primarily revolves around geographic and site-of-service requirements for Medicare patients. While behavioral health services received a permanent extension for home-based care, general primary care saw a return to several pre-pandemic restrictions:
- The Originating Site Rule: For non-behavioral primary care, the patient must generally be located in a qualifying rural area and at a medical facility (originating site) to receive Medicare-reimbursed telehealth.
- In-Person Requirements: For certain chronic care management and mental health services provided by primary care physicians in Florida, an in-person visit within the previous 6–12 months is now often mandatory to continue telehealth billing.
Why this matters for recruiting: Candidates in 2026 still want telehealth, but they need to know that your practice has a compliant, sustainable workflow that won’t lead to billing audits or lost revenue.
How This Impacts PCP Job Design in Florida
The 2026 rules mean that “100% remote” general primary care roles are becoming rare. Instead, we are recruiting for Hybrid Scheduling Templates:
- The 4+1 Model: Four days in-clinic in a metro like Tampa Bay or Jacksonville, with one day dedicated to virtual follow-ups, post-discharge “check-ins” (which have separate billing pathways), and administrative time.
- The HPSA Satellite Model: Physicians based in Orlando or Miami spend a portion of their week providing telehealth support to satellite clinics in rural counties, satisfying the “originating site” rule while maximizing provider reach.
Hybrid Models That Still Recruit Well in 2026
Despite the “cliff,” hybrid roles are still a top-three request from candidates in the Florida primary care workforce. To win these candidates, your model should include:
1. Chronic Care Management (CCM)
Leveraging telehealth for CCM allows physicians to manage their sickest patients from a remote dashboard. Candidates love this because it reduces the number of “low-acuity” in-person visits that clutter their schedule.
2. Post-Discharge Follow-ups
Virtual visits for patients recently discharged from hospitals in Broward or Palm Beach are highly effective for reducing readmissions. This “value-added” work is a great selling point for physicians who prioritize patient outcomes over volume.
3. Integrated Behavioral Health
Since the 2026 rules are more flexible for mental health, PCPs who provide medication management for anxiety or depression can still utilize telehealth extensively. This is a massive draw for internal medicine primary care Florida candidates who want to practice holistic medicine.
Compliance + Operational Checklist for Employers
If you are using telehealth primary care Florida 2026 as a recruitment tool, you must ensure your “back-office” is ready:
- Licensure Check: Does the candidate have a full Florida license, or are they using the Out-of-State Telehealth Registration?
- EHR Integration: Does your EHR allow for seamless switching between virtual and in-person slots?
- Patient Education: Do you have a process for ensuring Medicare patients understand when they must come into the clinic in Fort Myers or Naples?
FAQs: Telehealth in 2026
Q: Can we still hire out-of-state physicians to see Florida patients? A: Yes, via the Florida Out-of-State Telehealth Provider Registration, but they must adhere to the 2026 Medicare site-of-service rules if they are seeing Medicare patients.
Q: Is “audio-only” telehealth still reimbursed? A: For most primary care services, the 2026 rules have returned to requiring “audio and video” real-time communication. Audio-only is largely reserved for specific behavioral health and brief check-in codes.
Q: How do we market a hybrid role? A: Use terms like “Clinical Autonomy” and “Reduced Commute Time.” Highlighting a dedicated “Telehealth Friday” can often be the hook that leads to a shortlist in 5–7 days.
Conclusion: We’ll Recruit PCPs for Your Exact Model
Navigating the 2026 telehealth rules is complex, but it shouldn’t stop you from recruiting the best talent. Whether you need a 100% in-person doctor for a rural clinic or a hybrid specialist for a suburban group, MASC Medical has the network to deliver.
Is your hybrid model ready?