As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to create barriers to in-person care, there has been increased focus on enabling the delivery of healthcare services through telehealth. Congress, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and state Medicaid programs have identified reimbursement for telehealth and telephonic services provided by federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and rural […]
President Trump’s top Medicare official said Tuesday that expanded access to telemedicine should continue after the coronavirus pandemic recedes and that officials are examining ways to act without waiting for legislation from Congress. “I can’t imagine going back,” said Seema Verma, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, told STAT during a live virtual […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in a new era of telehealth for primary care, and patient-centered care is now easier than ever. This has been the model promoted as early as 1967 by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The idea is that the patient and not the physician or the hospital is at the center […]
“Social distancing,” a euphemism for an infection prevention and containment strategy, will undoubtedly live in the annals of meme history for its incredibly disrupting effects on the world. Fortunately, advancements in technology that allow one to upload the same memes to the internet have also enabled medical providers to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic by […]
Physicians have been challenged to reinvent their practices in order to accommodate their patients during the Covid-19 pandemic. The growing market of remote patient monitoring (RPM) has become a sought-after solution as indicated by recent increased demand and supply shortages. As such, GlobalData expects the RPM market to double over the next five years. As […]
The COVID-19 virus has thrown a wrench into any home health care plans the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) initially had for 2020. Instead of mainly focusing on the launch of the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) and other initiatives, the agency has had to make a slew of critical decisions in support […]
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, regulatory, reimbursement and technological changes have all helped trigger a massive and rapid expansion of telehealth accessibility. At the same time, say industry leaders, vulnerable groups – especially people of color – are being left behind. “Regrettably, minority groups are being left behind by the telehealth revolution,” said […]
Stakeholders are calling on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to make telehealth policy changes permanent. Healthcare stakeholders are calling for telehealth policy changes made during the COVID-19 pandemic to remain even after the pandemic ends. Since March, federal organizations such as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have taken steps […]
Posted 08 June 2020 | By Kari Oakes Guidance on use of non-invasive remote monitoring devices for patient care during the coronavirus public health emergency was expanded and updated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday. The guidance, originally issued in March, addresses the emergency of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic by allowing modifications that […]
The reality of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which has caused social distancing, stay-at-home orders, and self-imposed quarantines after potential interaction with a sick individual, has necessitated widespread use of telemedicine in the United States to extents never seen before. Now that these capabilities have been used, they should not be rolled back, according to […]
Jun 6, 2020 Currently, Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) pays for ambulance services only when patients are transported to covered destinations, mainly the ED. This incentive of traditional ambulance transportation limits the flexibility of ambulance providers and suppliers from addressing emergency healthcare needs of Medicare beneficiaries following a 911 call in a way that may more appropriately […]
Sudden adoption of virtual care brings long-term legal challenges as the platform’s popularity outlasts the pandemic. Following previous incremental advancements in telehealth, the COVID-19 pandemic thrust the technology to center stage during a public health emergency. Virtually overnight, federal and state regulators relaxed regulations spanning multiple agencies that historically hindered the ability of providers to […]
Dive Brief: Influential lobbying group American College of Physicians has asked CMS to extend its current waivers allowing reimbursement for telemedicine services at least until the end of 2021, or when a vaccine or effective treatment for COVID-19 has been developed. Currently, they are set to expire when the public health emergency passes. Premier, a major group […]
Medicare Advantage plans need to figure out how the delay of care due to the COVID-19 pandemic will impact their risk scores in the long term, experts say. Many of the services that have been deferred by consumers would have made up the sources of diagnoses that plans would have used to establish risk scores for […]
The Federal Trade Commission has offered its views on several proposals to expand Medicare and Medicaid coverage for telehealth services after the COVID-19 emergency is over. June 05, 2020 – The Federal Trade Commission is joining the groundswell of support for developing new CMS telehealth coverage policies beyond the coronavirus pandemic. In a letter sent last month to […]