Weekly / December 18, 2020 / 69(50);1902–1905 Hanna B. Demeke, PhD1; Leah Zilversmit Pao, PhD1; Hollie Clark, MPH1; Lisa Romero, DrPH1; Antonio Neri, MD1; Rhea Shah, MPH2; Kendra B. McDow, MD1; Erica Tindall, MSN1; Naureen J. Iqbal1; Kendra Hatfield-Timajchy, PhD1; Joshua Bolton, MS3; Xuan Le, AM3; Brionna Hair, PhD3; Stephanie Campbell, MPH3; Cuong Bui3; Paramjit Sandhu, […]
The most recent COVID-19 relief bill that was signed into law in December includes $250 million in new funding for the federal COVID-19 Telehealth Program, previously discussed here. The program was originally established in March, at the beginning of the pandemic, to help expand connectivity among patients and providers across the country. Telehealth has played a vital […]
The program will be implemented in four state community locations, including in Alaska, Michigan, Texas and West Virginia. Jeff Lagasse, Associate Editor The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Health Resources and Services Administration, has awarded $8 million to fund the Telehealth Broadband Pilot program, which assesses the broadband capacity available to rural healthcare […]
There’s lots of work to do expanding access for underserved patients, said experts at the American Telemedicine Association’s EDGE policy conference. By Kat Jercich January 12, 2021 03:33 PM The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a flurry of changes to regulations around telehealth and virtual care – the vast majority of which expire once the public health […]
The Alliance for Connected Care has sent an open letter to federal and state policymakers urging them to develop licensure guidelines that would allow providers to treat patients in other states via telehealth. By Eric Wicklund January 14, 2021 – The Alliance for Connected Care is putting pressure on lawmakers at both the state and federal levels to […]
In an update posted this week in the Federal Register, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has amended the 2021 Physician Fee Schedule to clarify reimbursement for remote patient monitoring programs. By Eric Wicklund January 20, 2021 – The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has made corrections to the 2021 Physician Fee Schedule, opening the door […]
Some will say 2020 was the year that everything changed, but in reality, it will be 2021 that determines our new healthcare reality. Virtual care advanced quickly—and under duress—last year. How will we learn from the seismic shifts in care delivery we experienced thanks to COVID-19? How can we help providers and innovators embrace the […]
Dozens of health systems and organizations in New York are joining forces with the Northeast Telehealth Resource Center to launch a statewide telehealth training program. By Eric Wicklund January 22, 2021 – As healthcare providers look to launch or expand their telehealth networks, a key ingredient to success and sustainability is a staff that knows how to use […]
Saturday, January 23, 2021 This article is the first post in our new “State” of Telehealth series in which we discuss innovation on a state level on the expansion of telehealth access, coverage and reimbursement. On January 14, 2021, the New Jersey Senate Committee approved a proposed bill (Bill S-2559, the “Bill”) that, if signed into law, […]
The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General recently has disclosed it is conducting an audit of home health services that were provided as telehealth during COVID-19. In addition, it is studying the challenges home health agencies (HHAs) have faced in providing care during the pandemic. In recent months, the Centers for […]
Dive Brief: Members of an influential congressional advisory committee on Medicare are torn on how best to regulate telehealth after the COVID-19 public health emergency, hinting at the difficulty Washington faces as it looks to impose guardrails on virtual care without restricting its use after the pandemic ends. During a Thursday virtual meeting, the Medicare […]
FCC announces initial 14 pilot project selected for $100M Connected Care Pilot Program that will support connected care service across the country and focus on low-income and veteran patients. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today announced an initial set of 14 pilot projects with over 150 treatment sites in 11 states that have been selected for […]
On December 1, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule that includes updates on policy changes for Medicare payments under the Physician Fee Schedule (PFS), and other Medicare Part B issues, on or after January 1, 2021. Background on the Physician Fee Schedule Since 1992, Medicare has paid for […]
