The Choose Home Care Act of 2021 was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives early Friday morning. The legislation was previously introduced in the Senate at the end of July. If enacted, the landmark Choose Home legislation would create an add-on payment to the traditional Medicare Home Health Benefit, allowing providers to mix in telehealth, transportation, […]
More than 400 advocacy groups are calling for Congress to act quickly to permanently expand flexibilities for telehealth that could go away after the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency expected to run through 2021. The 430 groups sent a letter to congressional leadership underscoring the urgency for action now amid concerns from providers that expanded […]
Faegre Drinker professionals Sarah-Lloyd Stevenson, Megan Herber, Nisha Quasba and Libby Baney provide ongoing support to the American Telemedicine Association’s (ATA) policy work. This month, the comment period for the Calendar Year 2022 Physician Fee Schedule (CY 2022 PFS) will close, marking an important regulatory step in how providers will be reimbursed for health care services next […]
Researchers from Ann Arbor-based Michigan Medicine conducted a study in August to determine if the costs hospitals pay for telehealth visits differ from in-person visits. Here are 13 numbers that demonstrate their findings: Physicians spent more face-to-face time in virtual visits than in-person visits. Physicians, on average, spent 13.8 minutes in a virtual visit compared to 10.2 minutes when the visit […]
Digital health is the wave of the future in health care. We’ve heard many times that the COVID-19 pandemic brought telehealth greater popularity—but telehealth can’t do it all. While providers can “see” patients with a telehealth visit, they can’t check and monitor vital signs. The increased use of telehealth during the pandemic exposed some of […]
Senators and healthcare IT experts raised concerns this week that many in the United States cannot benefit from the recent boom in telehealth services because of a lack of affordable high-speed internet access across the country. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed so much about how people live their lives, but nothing changed so fundamentally as […]
A study conducted in Canada has found that a remote patient monitoring platform can be used to facilitate care for patients who’ve been discharged from a hospital after non-elective surgery. By Eric Wicklund October 01, 2021 – A recent study conducted at several Canadian hospitals finds that remote patient monitoring can be used to help patients recover at […]
More than 70 healthcare organizations will receive funding from the Federal Communications Commission’s COVID-19 Telehealth Program for projects aimed at expanding connected health platforms to improve access to care during the pandemic. By Eric Wicklund September 30, 2021 – More than 70 healthcare organizations will received federal funds for new connected health projects through the Federal Communications Commission’s […]
Several doctor groups are pressing the Biden administration to not just extend Medicare telehealth reimbursement flexibilities through 2023 but to be made permanent. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposed in the 2022 Physician Fee Schedule to extend telehealth flexibilities through 2023 instead of through the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency, which is expected […]
The Biden Administration is awarding nearly $1 billion in American Rescue Plan funding through the HRSA to about 1,300 health centers across the country for capital improvements, including telehealth expansion. By Eric Wicklund September 28, 2021 – The Biden Administration is shelling out almost $1 billion in American Rescue Plan funding to health centers in every state to […]
Several organizations have asked CMS to revise its proposed 2022 Physician Fee Schedule to permanently expand Medicare coverage for telehealth. By Eric Wicklund September 20, 2021 – Telehealth advocates are asking the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to amend the proposed 2022 Physician Fee Schedule to permanently extend emergency measures on telehealth access and coverage that were […]
A letter signed by 20 organizations calls on the agency to expand telehealth coverage for mental health and other services delivered through critical access hospitals, federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics. By Eric Wicklund September 27, 2021 – Several organizations are making an extra effort to lobby for expanded telehealth coverage for rural healthcare providers beyond […]
The Department of Veterans Affairs is soliciting bids for four remote patient monitoring projects that could greatly expand the agency’s ability to treat veterans in their own homes. By Eric Wicklund September 20, 2021 – The Department of Veterans Affairs is looking to launch a massive expansion of its remote patient monitoring program to expand care and treatment […]
Researchers said telecare programs could allow homebound older adults to maintain a closer connection with healthcare providers. By Emily Olsen September 13, 2021 01:53 pm Homebound older adults who participated in a telecare program for three months had improved medication adherence and quality of life, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open. TOPLINE DATA Researchers […]
There is a high probability that using telehealth to treat children with chronic conditions can improve patient outcomes and reduce health system costs, University of Texas researchers found. By Victoria Bailey September 23, 2021 – Using telehealth to deliver comprehensive care for children with chronic conditions is likely to reduce hospital and emergency department visits, improve patient outcomes, […]