Recent waivers by CMS that allow for limited digital communication with patients have triggered a wave of questions. Here are our answers to the ones we hear most often. APTA is receiving many questions about the recent regulatory waivers announced by CMS related to digital communication between providers and patients, particularly regarding e-visits and the […]
If you’re sick, you should see a doctor. But not in person, if you can avoid it. Instead, visit the doctor through an app. During the coronavirus outbreak, using your smartphone could be a matter of life and death. We could all take a lesson from Naomi Azhar, 49, who recently underwent breast cancer surgery and had […]
On March 17, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) announced an unprecedented expansion of telehealth services, [1] widening provider access to its 62 million Medicare beneficiaries. It also strongly encouraged state Medicaid programs and commercial payors to do the same. Such action prioritizes the need of immediate and on-going care for vulnerable populations during […]
Senate Republicans’ COVID-19 economic stimulus bill would suspend the Medicare sequester until the end of 2020, increase inpatient hospital add-on payments for treating COVID-19 patients, reduce restrictions on telehealth and boost funding to community health centers. Negotiations on the legislation are ongoing, and Republicans need Democratic support to pass the legislation. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi […]
In three short months since the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), life as we’ve known it has been turned upside down. Stocks are tanking. Stores are cleared out of essentials, such as milk, toilet paper and hand sanitizer. Travel is grounded. Schools and public events are closing. Employers are sending workers home. With a fatality […]
CMS on March 20 released two digital toolkits on telehealth complete with resources specific to general practitioners as well as providers treating patients with end-stage renal disease. As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread across the U.S., the Trump administration has implemented several initiatives to increase telehealth services to avoid the spread of the disease. In addition […]
Dive Brief: FDA on Friday issued a policy to facilitate greater use of remote patient monitoring technologies to cut back on hospital visits and thereby minimize risk of exposure to COVID-19 while also reducing the burden on providers during the current crisis. The guidance document, effective immediately, is limited to the duration of the public health emergency […]
Telehealth is at a pivotal moment, as patients are urged to stay home and seek remote care during the coronavirus pandemic. Leaders from across the nation, including President Donald Trump, are clearing the way to bring telehealth services into their homes. On Tuesday, Trump expanded telehealth visits for Medicare patients, who can now visit any doctor by […]
March 17, 2020 – A remote patient monitoring tool that assesses patient ambulation and mobility could be useful for predicting risk for 30-day hospital readmissions, according to new data published in JAMA Network Open. Overall, a remote patient monitoring tool helped predict 30-day hospital readmissions, discharge location (patient home versus a rehabilitation center), and length of stay at over 80 […]
The COVID-19 pandemic is entering a new stage of global spread. The outbreak has generated a frenzy of activity related to telehealth, which offers a unique capacity for remote screening and treatment, and can be a powerful tool for reducing transmission of the disease. Kevin Campbell, MD, says the time is now for medicine to […]
As federal officials continue to urge Americans – particularly older adults – to stay in their homes to stem the spread of the coronavirus, President Donald Trump on Tuesday said telehealth options for Medicare recipients are being expanded and made easier to take advantage of. “Medicare patients can now visit any doctor by phone or video […]
Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump on Tuesday laid out new efforts his administration is undertaking as part of the federal response to the spread of novel coronavirus in the US.Officials on the White House coronavirus task force indicated during a White House briefing on Tuesday with the President that they hope to “flatten the curve” of US diagnoses of coronavirus […]
The federal government is stripping away barriers to Medicare telehealth coverage as a frontline response to the coronavirus outbreak, which feeds on person-to-person contact and has proven deadliest for elderly individuals. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma announced the temporary coverage expansion in a mid-day White House news conference Tuesday held by […]
On March 13, 2020, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation declaring a national emergency concerning the novel coronavirus disease (the “Emergency Declaration”). The president framed the emergency declaration as empowering the Secretary of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) to waive “laws to enable telehealth,” which gave providers hope that the administration would remove some of the primary […]
The Trump administration on Tuesday announced an emergency expansion of telehealth coverage for Medicare beneficiaries amid the COVID-19 outbreak, removing multiple regulatory barriers to doctors providing remote care for nursing home residents. Retroactive to March 6, Medicare can pay for virtual consultations provided through telehealth platforms across the country, including those conducted in a patient’s […]