CMS just issued a correction to its guidance on 2021 Medicare rules for remote physiologic monitoring (RPM) services. The correction is effective January 1, 2021 and revises the preamble commentary in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule, previously published on December 1, 2020. It adds language that was inadvertently deleted from the Final Rule, summarizing and responding some […]
Remote patient monitoring has finally gone mainstream. After more than two decades of cultivation – from cardiac telemetry to Bluetooth-enabled blood pressure cuffs and now to wearable devices – the technological progress of remote patient monitoring (RPM) has finally intersected with other trends in medicine such as telehealth (and of course COVID) to make this […]
December 9, 2020 Dear Majority Leader McConnell, Minority Leader Schumer, Speaker Pelosi, and Minority LeaderMcCarthy: The undersigned organizations represent millions of individuals facing serious, acute and chronic healthconditions across the country. Our organizations have a unique perspective on what individuals need toprevent disease, cure illness and manage chronic health conditions. The diversity of our groups […]
[co-authors: Adrienne Peng, and Michelle Fong] As the COVID-19 pandemic continues across the United States, states, payers, and providers are looking for ways to expand access to telehealth services. Telehealth is an essential tool in ensuring patients are able to access the healthcare services they need in as safe a manner as possible. In order […]
Weekly / December 18, 2020 / 69(50);1902–1905 Hanna B. Demeke, PhD1; Leah Zilversmit Pao, PhD1; Hollie Clark, MPH1; Lisa Romero, DrPH1; Antonio Neri, MD1; Rhea Shah, MPH2; Kendra B. McDow, MD1; Erica Tindall, MSN1; Naureen J. Iqbal1; Kendra Hatfield-Timajchy, PhD1; Joshua Bolton, MS3; Xuan Le, AM3; Brionna Hair, PhD3; Stephanie Campbell, MPH3; Cuong Bui3; Paramjit Sandhu, […]
The most recent COVID-19 relief bill that was signed into law in December includes $250 million in new funding for the federal COVID-19 Telehealth Program, previously discussed here. The program was originally established in March, at the beginning of the pandemic, to help expand connectivity among patients and providers across the country. Telehealth has played a vital […]
The program will be implemented in four state community locations, including in Alaska, Michigan, Texas and West Virginia. Jeff Lagasse, Associate Editor The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Health Resources and Services Administration, has awarded $8 million to fund the Telehealth Broadband Pilot program, which assesses the broadband capacity available to rural healthcare […]
There’s lots of work to do expanding access for underserved patients, said experts at the American Telemedicine Association’s EDGE policy conference. By Kat Jercich January 12, 2021 03:33 PM The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a flurry of changes to regulations around telehealth and virtual care – the vast majority of which expire once the public health […]
The Alliance for Connected Care has sent an open letter to federal and state policymakers urging them to develop licensure guidelines that would allow providers to treat patients in other states via telehealth. By Eric Wicklund January 14, 2021 – The Alliance for Connected Care is putting pressure on lawmakers at both the state and federal levels to […]
In an update posted this week in the Federal Register, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has amended the 2021 Physician Fee Schedule to clarify reimbursement for remote patient monitoring programs. By Eric Wicklund January 20, 2021 – The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has made corrections to the 2021 Physician Fee Schedule, opening the door […]
Some will say 2020 was the year that everything changed, but in reality, it will be 2021 that determines our new healthcare reality. Virtual care advanced quickly—and under duress—last year. How will we learn from the seismic shifts in care delivery we experienced thanks to COVID-19? How can we help providers and innovators embrace the […]
Dozens of health systems and organizations in New York are joining forces with the Northeast Telehealth Resource Center to launch a statewide telehealth training program. By Eric Wicklund January 22, 2021 – As healthcare providers look to launch or expand their telehealth networks, a key ingredient to success and sustainability is a staff that knows how to use […]
Saturday, January 23, 2021 This article is the first post in our new “State” of Telehealth series in which we discuss innovation on a state level on the expansion of telehealth access, coverage and reimbursement. On January 14, 2021, the New Jersey Senate Committee approved a proposed bill (Bill S-2559, the “Bill”) that, if signed into law, […]
The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General recently has disclosed it is conducting an audit of home health services that were provided as telehealth during COVID-19. In addition, it is studying the challenges home health agencies (HHAs) have faced in providing care during the pandemic. In recent months, the Centers for […]