With the pandemic in the rear-view mirror, people are going back to the ER, and payers are trying to steer them instead toward mHealth apps, telehealth platforms and retail clinics. By Eric Wicklund June 09, 2021 – With hospital emergency departments moving back toward pre-COVID-19 traffic levels, some payers are renewing efforts to steer their members away from […]
Medicare nursing home residents would keep their access to some telehealth flexibilities adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic long after the public health crisis is over under a new proposal from a bipartisan group of lawmakers. The legislation — Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act — was introduced late last week by Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Joe […]
Meanwhile, Oregon becomes the latest state to enact its own telehealth legislation. By Kat Jercich June 15, 2021 02:55 PM U.S. senators this past week introduced another bill aimed at making telehealth flexibilities permanent under Medicare – including audio-only telehealth appointments. The Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act is geared toward ensuring underserved community health providers are able […]
The pandemic was marked by remote patient monitoring and telehealth use to monitor and manage health at home, but future innovation is needed to meet consumer needs. By Sara Heath June 16, 2021 – More people than ever have bought remote patient monitoring into their homes, with Deloitte finding that 14 percent of healthcare consumers bought a fitness tracker like […]
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Tina Smith (D-MN), John Thune (R-SD), and Ben Cardin (D-MD) introduced the bipartisan Telemental Health Care Access Act of 2021 to remove barriers to telemental health services for Medicare beneficiaries. “Over the pandemic, we’ve seen an increased need for telehealth services whether it’s for substance use disorders, physical ailments or […]
At a meeting this week, the American Medical Association’s delegates adopted new policies specifically targeting peer-to-peer review of prior authorization decisions and the particular burden of prior authorization during a public health emergency. The country’s largest physician organization is taking steps to rein in bureaucratic prior authorization requirements that can lead to delayed and disruptive treatment […]
At one community health network, asynchronous telehealth is expanding access to primary care services for patients. By Emily Sokol, MPH June 15, 2021 – Store-and-forward or asynchronous telehealth often stays out of the headlines, but one community health network is using the telehealth modality to extend primary care services for their patients. Experts say the technology is best fit for […]
The American Medical Association teamed up with Boston-based Massachusetts General Hospital and New Orleans-based Ochsner Health System on a May report to develop a framework for measuring the value of virtual care. As telehealth becomes more integrated into healthcare offerings, the AMA developed a virtual care foundation to guide clinicians, payers and virtual care leaders […]
WASHINGTON – Members of the Government Accountability Office testified before Congress last week saying, while Medicare beneficiaries and providers have benefitted from program waivers and other flexibilities, their continued use beyond the pandemic increases risks and raise considerations. Among those risks and considerations: Increased spending: Telehealth waivers can increase spending in both Medicare and Medicaid, if telehealth […]
OBJECTIVE: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has presented emergency departments (EDs) with many challenges to address the acute care needs of patients. Many EDs have leveraged telehealth to innovatively respond to these challenges. This review describes the landscape of telehealth initiatives in emergency care that have been described during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. METHODS: […]
The pandemic has proven telehealth is a critical part of effective, efficient and equitable health care, and the AMA is encouraging Congress to act now so patients don’t lose the option of connecting with their physicians through this convenient, accessible mode of care. In written testimony submitted to the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on […]
The House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee held a hearing on April 28 to discuss the benefits that telehealth has provided during the COVID-19 pandemic and how to maintain these advancements in care in the future. During the hearing, “Charting the Path Forward for Telehealth,” subcommittee members and witnesses primarily focused their comments on how telehealth has […]
Long-term care stakeholders are looking forward to telehealth policies remaining a “very, very hot topic” in Congress during the COVID-19 public health emergency, and beyond. Service providers say they are optimistic lawmakers will act, but want to make sure they are properly reimbursed in the end. “We achieved incredible advances in telehealth with the PHE,” […]
As of late March 2021, 475 million people worldwide have received a COVID-19 vaccine. Although a return to normalcy is drawing closer, it is unclear how state and federal governments will regulate and reimburse for telehealth services when temporary telehealth policies expire at the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE). This alert summarizes […]