The roadmap released this week includes a four-point strategy to address the challenges facing rural healthcare. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday released an 82-page Rural Action Plan aimed at evaluating and engaging challenges facing rural healthcare in the country. The plan lays out a four-point strategy intended to address hurdles to providing […]
SEP 7, 2020 Len Strazewski Contributing News Writer Concerned about exposing patients and their families to COVID-19, doctors and other health professionals are expanding telehealth services, using a variety of audio and video technology to make connections. Master key telehealth principles Meg Barron, the AMA’s vice president of digital innovation, reported that even prior to […]
It’s now been about nine months since the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) required a new payment model for home health care, representing the largest change to the payment model in decades. The new Patient Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) affects tens of thousands of agencies that provide therapy for millions of home health […]
Remote patient monitoring of patients with COPD can offer clues about what happens before an exacerbation. While telemedicine and remote patient monitoring (RPM) have potential for proactive management of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) at risk of exacerbation, data is lacking on how symptoms and physiological measures vary prior to flare-ups. However, new study findings […]
Knowing it may be met with some skepticism, the Trump administration Thursday announced a sweeping plan that officials say will transform health care in rural America. Even before the coronavirus pandemic reached into the nation’s less-populated regions, rural Americans were sicker, poorer and older than the rest of the country. Hospitals are shuttering at record […]
In 2019, Mayo Clinic’s campus in Florida was ramping up its virtual options for patients, and providers conducted about 100 appointments by video throughout the year. This spring, with people staying home as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the clinic was performing about 600 virtual patient visits per day. “I think that’s been a real advantage […]
Five cardiologists and service line leaders discuss telehealth and how it has affected care delivery in cardiology. Editor’s note: Responses have been edited for clarity and length and are presented alphabetically. Question: How has the uptick in telehealth adoption affected care delivery in cardiology? Will these trends last beyond the pandemic? Eric Adler, MD, cardiologist […]
BY ARIELLE KANE, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR — 09/07/20 11:00 AM EDT Over the last few months, millions of Americans have used telehealth services — the remote delivery of care and health monitoring using digital telecommunications tools — to get health care. Federal and state policymakers have made it easier to access telehealth during the pandemic to keep […]
The use of telehealth has exploded as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. For it to continue gaining momentum, private and public payers must appropriately reimburse for telehealth, according to the latest report from Insights by Xtelligent Healthcare Media. Healthcare leaders will continue to invest in telehealth tools and infrastructure. But organizations need support from […]
Faced with the need to improve patient satisfaction and reduce unnecessary delays in care, hospitals and medical practices are using telehealth and mHealth tools to create a virtual waiting room. With the COVID-19 crisis putting the kibosh on crowds, hospitals are turning to telehealth and mHealth to take the wait out of healthcare. The crowded, […]
A group of Senators is asking CMS to expand coverage for telehealth services delivered by home health care providers. With Congress and the government still haggling over how to extend telehealth coverage beyond the coronavirus pandemic, a group of Senators is pushing for additional flexibilities for home health care providers. In a letter to the heads […]
Last week, the White House hosted a virtual “Roundtable Discussion on Embracing Technology and Telehealth” with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma, Director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation and Deputy Assistant to the President Brad Smith, and healthcare leaders from across the country. At the event, the White […]
With the rapid use of telehealth resulting from the pandemic, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a new toolkit to help the Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP) accelerate their adoption of telehealth coverage during this time. The toolkit is designed to walk states through identifying policies that they will need to address […]
The impact of COVID-19 on the healthcare industry’s ability to innovate has been stunning. We have seen FDA emergency authorizations and relaxed regulatory guidelines enable the development of radical new ventilator ideas, accelerated timelines for vaccine development, and an extraordinary transition to telehealth services. Many of these actions were a response to the exposure of weak spots […]
The Draft Consumer Privacy Framework for Health Data aims to set standards for the collection, use and protection of health data on smartwatches, fitness bands, mHealth apps and other consumer-facing technology. Two digital health organizations have joined forces to develop guidelines to protect health information gathered by consumer-facing mHealth devices. The Draft Consumer Privacy Framework […]