The rapid adoption of virtual care during the COVID-19 pandemic may be winding down compared to levels it reached early in the COVID-19 pandemic. But that shift marked a “sea change” in healthcare that will have a long-term impact on how care is delivered, said Mayo Clinic health IT leader John Halamka. “Organizations were at 5% telehealth visits […]
COVID-19 accelerated adoption of a digital front door, introducing virtual care access at scale. How can organizations utilize that door after the pandemic wanes? Healthcare organizations looking to unlock the digital front door in healthcare should build up their health IT infrastructure, consider a patient-centered approach, and factor in the impact virtual care will have […]
Telehealth has recently taken off as a way to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, but even though telehealth has been around for several years, clinics had difficulty adopting it pre-COVID-19. This caused clinics to not view telehealth as a viable option, and it was often seen as a last resort approach to healthcare. As reducing […]
What is telehealth?The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S.Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) defines telehealth as the use of electronic information and telecommunications technologies to support and promote long-distance clinical health care, patient andprofessional health-related education, and public health and healthadministration. Technologies include videoconferencing, the internet, storeand-forward imaging, streaming media, […]
Telehealth plays an increasingly critical part in treating patients, improving health outcomes and lowering costs. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Federal Communications Commission and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to work together on the Rural Telehealth Initiative, a joint effort to collaborate and share information to address health […]
Finalized policy changes expand new technology add-on payment pathway for certain antimicrobials On September 2, CMS issued the FY 2021 Medicare Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System and Long Term Acute Care Hospital (LTCH) final rule, which includes important provisions designed to ensure access to potentially life-saving diagnostics and therapies for hospitalized Medicare beneficiaries. The changes […]
On August 3, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) updates for the 2021 calendar year, addressing among other policy changes how CMS will treat telehealth codes for the duration of and following the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE). Background: CMS’ Process for Reviewing New Telehealth Codes CMS […]
Improvements in access, usability and scheduling brought on by the pandemic will outlast the current public health crisis. Five months after COVID-19 was formally declared a pandemic, the disease continues to deeply impact the healthcare and life sciences industry. Care providers are faced with critical shortages of both staff and supplies. COVID-19 has deeply exacerbated […]
The latest telehealth expansion bill introduced to Congress would extend CARES Act provisions through the end of 2025 and compel the GAO to issue two reports on the successes and challenges associated with connected health. The drumbeat continues to extend telehealth coverage beyond the coronavirus pandemic, with a new bill introduced this week in the […]
Steven Martel, M.D., CMIO at Central Maine Healthcare, describes his organization’s journey into telehealth during the pandemic, and what needs to happen for usage rates to remain high going forward. It’s been very well-documented that COVID-19 has forced patient care organizations to turn to alternative ways to provide care while limiting exposure to the virus. In this […]
Black patients are four-times more likely to access the emergency department over telehealth than their white peers, highlighting a care access disparity. Key health disparities have emerged in telehealth use and access during the initial surge of the COVID-19 pandemic, with older adults and Black and Hispanic patients being less likely to utilize the technology […]
Jane Van Aken, Development Director at Spirit Digital, outlines the five key necessities for successful implementation and use of remote monitoring. While digital healthcare has existed since the early 1970s, Covid-19 has acted as a catalyst for the NHS’s digital transformation. In order to continue to care for vulnerable patients, including those with chronic conditions […]
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together on the Rural Telehealth Initiative, a joint effort to collaborate and share information to address health disparities, resolve service provider challenges, and promote […]
What You Should Know: – FCC releases Public Notice providing additional information and guidance for potential applicants interested in applying for its Connected Care Pilot Program. – The Connected Care Pilot Program will provide up to $100 million from the Universal Service Fund (USF) over a three-year period to selected applicants to support the provision […]
Knowing it may be met with some skepticism, the Trump administration Thursday announced a sweeping plan that officials say will transform health care in rural America. Even before the coronavirus pandemic reached into the nation’s less-populated regions, rural Americans were sicker, poorer and older than the rest of the country. Hospitals are shuttering at record […]