A familiar echo of “we should have done this earlier” surrounds processes that could have been implemented before the pandemic hit. Telehealth is a prime example. The American Telemedicine Association is taking advantage of its success during the crisis to make telehealth a permanent fixture in U.S. healthcare. House calls seem like a quaint relic […]
COVID-19 provided a much-needed catalyst for widespread integration of telemedicine. Now it’s time to use it against our biggest long-term health challenges. Telemedicine is not a new idea; in fact, its roots can be traced back to the 1920s, when radio transmissions were used to send medical advice to ships at sea. Recent years have […]
For years, telemedicine has been touted as a way to address mental health provider shortages in Greater Minnesota or as an option that could help stave off the looming mass retirement of the state’s aging psychologist workforce. But, despite the promise offered by technology, most mental health providers in Minnesota avoided making the move to […]
By Jackie Drees If telehealth is going to provide value to the healthcare system, it must address issues such as health equity and disparities in healthcare while delivering safe and high-quality care, according to Shantanu Agrawal, MD, and Tejal Gandhi, MD. For a Sept. 23 viewpoint article published in Health Affairs, Dr. Agrawal, president and CEO […]
The report, recently published in Medicina, was prepared by clinicians at NYU Langone Health and the NYU Long Island School of Medicine, both of which used telehealth to treat hundreds of thousands of patients this summer. By Eric Wicklund September 21, 2020 – Two New York health systems have published a blueprint for using telehealth to diagnose and treat […]
AACE leaders on embracing technology in medicine by Howard M. Lando, MD, and Susan L. Samson, MD, PhD September 18, 2020 Telehealth has been available as a tool for health care practitioners for years but, until recently, it was primarily used to treat patients in rural areas and with various restrictions, including where the service could […]
What’s the news: The AMA is supporting S. 4375, the “Telehealth Modernization Act of 2020,” which would permanently remove many of the regulatory restrictions on telehealth that were temporarily lifted at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and have enabled patients to receive care without leaving their homes. “During the pandemic, telemedicine has allowed physicians to […]
Beyond the toll the novel coronavirus has taken on our friends and loved ones, COVID-19 has brought to light how our healthcare system has been challenged in the face of a pandemic and a surging influx of patients. Beyond the terrible toll the novel coronavirus has taken on our friends and loved ones, COVID-19 has […]
Jackie Drees – Wednesday, September 16th, 2020 The American Telemedicine Association, National Committee for Quality Assurance and Alliance for Connected Care’s national telehealth policy taskforce released recommendations this month for permanent virtual care expansion. The Taskforce on Telehealth Policy, which comprises healthcare leaders from 20 organizations including Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente, Humana and Amwell, compiled the recommendations after analyzing more than […]
The health industry has increasingly emphasized convenience these past few decades, with methods developed to seamlessly integrate health management into our daily routines. Gone are the days in which people needed an entire day off just to see the doctor. This same focus has taken on extra meaning as of late, with the pandemic creating […]
As with any crisis, COVID-19 has exposed and widened existing cracks in the foundations of our nation’s healthcare infrastructure. This instability is particularly evident in senior care, given the extreme levying of pressure on health systems, providers and staff. With the weight of the pandemic miring classic models of care delivery, how can virtual care […]
Remote healthcare recommendations set guidelines for policymakers Twenty-three of the nation’s leading healthcare experts released their much-anticipated final report on Tuesday, September 15, identifying challenges and opportunities for telehealth in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Taskforce on Telehealth Policy, convened by the National Committee for Quality Assurance, the Alliance for Connected Care, and the American Telemedicine […]
The Saturday letter “Telehealth will be valuable even after pandemic ends” from David Stukus made a good case for online visits with medical providers as the pandemic continues and ends. I’ve had a couple of those with my own doctors. One large limitation, however, is that you can’t do blood work online. Doctors often need […]
COVID-19 sparked historic patient engagement technology adoption, but healthcare will need to lean on provider testimony to keep these gains. If healthcare wants to keep up the gains in patient engagement technology adoption it saw at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s going to need to tap the providers that patients trust, according to […]
This article will explore Medicaid expansion during COVID-19. We all know that COVID has uprooted our lives. Telehealth is the new post-COVID norm, whereas it was in infancy pre-COVID. Perhaps the pandemic has spurred on Medicaid expansion as well. I would be remiss if I did not mention that increased practice of telehealth and Medicaid […]