The FCC released the agenda for its next Open Meeting, scheduled for February 17, 2021, which will be the first with Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel at the helm. The FCC plans to kick off the meeting with three presentations detailing the Commission’s progress in implementing programs designed to support broadband access and deployment. First, the FCC […]
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WHSV) — West Virginia Senator Shelley Moore Capito and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar have reintroduced legislation to enhance telehealth support for seniors and increase access to technology for “virtual visits” during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a press release from Senator Capito’s office. The press release says the Advancing Connectivity during the Coronavirus […]
Every patient who could benefit should be armed with the sophisticated and validated technologies currently available to monitor key biometrics at home to alert patients and their clinicians of abnormalities and opportunities for early intervention. By LUCIENNE IDE Post a comment / Feb 3, 2021 at 10:11 AM As the founder of a health IT company and a […]
Few people question whether care delivery will continue to migrate out of the hospital into new settings such as the home. The better question is, what services – specifically – will migrate to the home, and what innovations are necessary to support these migrations? By ELLEN HERLACHER Post a comment / Jan 31, 2021 at 10:00 AM By […]
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently updated its 2021 Work Plan in January to include audits of Medicare Part B and home health telehealth services by OIG’s Office of Audit Services (OAS). OAS conducts independent audits of HHS programs, HHS grantees, and contractors to examine their performance in carrying out their responsibilities […]
The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) released it’s post-COVID-19 telehealth policy proposals on Tuesday. These proposals include the expansion of telehealth services, requiring payment parity for telehealth services, expanding the use of audio-only care and many more proposals. When the COVID-19 pandemic was declared a public health emergency, the collective provisions like the CARES Act, FFCRA and other federal […]
As we’ve discussed in previous posts, since the beginning of the pandemic, telehealth providers have seen a dramatic increase in demand for their services along with a number of temporary regulatory measures aimed at expanding telehealth access to more patient populations. Most of these measures, on the federal and state level, are tied to the […]
The Trump administration enacted 244 Medicare regulatory changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving Biden with a slew of policies to reconsider or make permanent. By Jacqueline LaPointe January 26, 2021 – Nearly all Medicare providers have been impacted by at least one COVID-19 pandemic-related regulatory change, the Commonwealth Fund reports. Under the Trump administration, there were 244 Medicare regulatory […]
A $3.2 billion program spun out of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 aims to help low-income and underserved communities gain access to broadband services – and make it easier to access telehealth. By Eric Wicklund January 29, 2021 – The Federal Communications Commission will hold a round-table discussion next month on a new program designed to help […]
In advance of the next session of Congress, lawmakers are scrambling to file new bills or resubmit old bills that aim to expand telehealth access and coverage through and beyond the coronavirus pandemic. By Eric Wicklund January 29, 2021 – The telehealth bills are starting to pile up on Capitol Hill. At least three more bills have been […]
Digital technologies have transformed almost every aspect of the health care and life sciences industry—from electronic health records and telemedicine, to diagnostics and therapeutics augmented by artificial intelligence, and to remote clinical trials. The year 2020 witnessed the COVID-19 pandemic catalyzing unprecedented levels of digital health innovation and adoption. The digital health industry is entering […]
The relief bill signed into law this past weekend by President Trump includes $250 million for the Federal Communications Commission’s COVID-19 Telehealth Program, which was shut down in July after exhausting its budget. By Eric Wicklund December 29, 2020 – The latest federal COVID-19 relief bill is giving new life to a program aimed at expanding telehealth through […]
Tuesday, January 26th, 2021 WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 26, 2021)—Rep. Mike Thompson (D-California), founder and co-chair of the Congressional Telehealth Caucus, along with caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Peter Welch (D-Vermont), Bill Johnson (R-Ohio) and David Schweikert (R-Arizona) and caucus member Rep. Doris Matsui (D-California)announced the reintroduction of the Protecting Access to Post-COVID-19 Telehealth Act. This bipartisan bill […]
In Short The Situation: Telehealth services continue to evolve and show promise for improving quality care, care coordination, and access to services while often demonstrating cost effective options for care. The Action: The Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) finalized its proposed exception to the Beneficiary Inducements Civil Monetary Penalties Law to protect certain telehealth technologies […]
The impetus to provide more Medicare coverage of telehealth may prove irresistible, but the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has some reservations, including that telehealth payment rates should not favor companies like Dallas-based Teladoc Health Inc. over bricks-and-mortar clinics. This and other considerations are driving the commission toward a recommendation that a two-year telehealth pilot […]