US Congress Wants CMS to Up Telehealth Usage While Cutting Payments
The US Congress’s Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has asked the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to ramp up telehealth utilization while, at the same time, cutting the payment rates associated with it. The request comes as the post-pandemic status of telehealth looks uncertain with policy changes following the recent end of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
Proposed US DEA Rules Necessitate In-Person Visits For Certain Drugs Prescribed Via Telehealth
New rules proposed by the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) will require patients to have in-person visits when prescribing certain controlled drugs to patients who primarily receive care via telehealth. While many controlled drugs are targeted, the rules are an expansion to access for buprenorphine treatment for patients with opioid use disorder.
Talking Remote Care and Reimbursement with Bronwyn Spira of Force Therapeutics
The US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) introduced new CPT codes last year, reducing barriers via remote care. In a new video by Managed Healthcare Executive, Force Therapeutics’ Bronwyn Spira talks about how these new codes affected outcomes and why outcomes-based reimbursement models may help support these efforts going forward.
Future of Medicare Telehealth Uncertain as End of COVID-19 PHE Nears
As the May 11 end of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) approaches, uncertainty surrounds the future of Medicare telehealth services. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 will preserve some of the provisions that allowed additional telehealth flexibility, but the bill doesn’t cover everything, such as prescribing controlled substances through telehealth.
American Hospital Association Asks Congress for Permanent Telehealth Expansion
With pandemic-era telehealth expansions expiring soon with the approaching end or the COVID-19 public health emergency, the American Hospital Association (AHA) is calling on lawmakers to extend them permanently. The professional organization penned two letters, one to each house of Congress, with a list of specific provisions it wants to see made permanent going forward.,
Oncology Telehealth Cuts Costs for Some Patients
A newly published paper in JAMA Network Open shows that some cancer patients saved significantly on travel costs by using telehealth oncology services. The study looked at completed telehealth visits from 11,688 adult patients up to 65 years of age and analyzed travel costs and loss of productivity due to an in-person visit.
In-Person Care and Telehealth Private Insurer Payments Similar in 2020
A new analysis by the Kaiser Health Foundation finds that reimbursements from private insurance plans were similar for in-person and telehealth appointments during 2020. The researchers analyzed data from over 90 million claims. The average cost for telehealth visits covering serious evaluation and management cases for established patients was $143, whereas in-person services were, on average, only a few dollars cheaper at $137.
State Medicaid Officials Look to Make Pandemic-Era Telehealth Expansions Permanent
A recent survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) found Medicaid officials from several US states were looking to make telehealth expansions enacted during the pandemic permanent. The survey was made available to Medicaid officials in every state, with several saying they would continue monitoring telehealth utilization for future analysis and decision-making.
The Bathroom is the Future of Digital Preventative Healthcare
The implementation of digital health solutions propelled during the COVID-19 pandemic. The rapid development and implementation of health technology has already generated large amounts of real-world data (RWD). In a new Forbes article, Thomas Serval, CEO of Baracoda, discusses how these technologies appear to be aligning more and more in one room of the house: the bathroom.
Improving Access to Care for Indigenous Americans Via Telemedicine
Indigenous people face significant systemic barriers to accessing healthcare that result in worse health outcomes. The Indian Health Service (IHS) of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) exists to serve this community, but the remote regions where indigenous tribal nations are located makes getting care difficult. According to a new article in AJMC¸ telehealth can help increase access to all kinds of care, ranging from specialty services to emergency care.
Amazon, Walmart and Other Providers Ask US Congress to Extend COVID-19 Telehealth policies
A group consisting of 370 care providers has asked the US Senate to extend pandemic policies regarding telehealth. These policies provide extra flexibility to telehealth services, like cross-state services or the relaxation of in-person visits for mental healthcare. The organizations consist of massive providers like Amazon, Walmart, and many others.
Opioid Overdoses Reduced by Telehealth
A newly published study finds that a surge of telehealth usage in patients with opioid use disorder during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic improved outcomes and reduced medically-treated overdoses. The investigators analyzed data from a pool of 176,000 Medicare patients, also finding that telehealth usage improved treatment adherence in patients.
Bringing Healthcare to Patients to Improve Outcomes
A recent report from Philips found that delivering care outside hospital settings is a key priority of healthcare leaders. Distributed care models that provide care to patients outside of hospital settings can help reduce the strain on healthcare systems and reduce barriers to access for patients, especially for marginalized and/or rural patients.
CVS Makes $8 Billion Deal to Acquire In-Home Care Provider Signify Health
CVS and Signify Health have come to an agreement on an acquisition deal. CVS is set to purchase Signify, a company that provides in-home care to patients, both virtually and in-person. This deal would allow CVS to expand its offerings into the care provider space, a move many industry giants have eyed in recent years.
Amazon Shutters Telehealth Service Amazon Care
An internal memo from Neil Lindsay, head of Amazon Health Services, indicates that the company is planning to close Amazon Care. The company plans to scrap the telehealth service due to it being “not a complete offering,” nor a “long-term solution.” However, Amazon does not seem primed to pull out from healthcare altogether.
Promoting Better Patient Outcomes and Reducing Churn with Digital Health Assistant for Aging
Almost 70% of US Americans over 65 years of age want some form of digital health assistant to negotiate health [...]
Expanding Telehealth to Farmers
Although the expansion of telehealth during the pandemic has broadened access for many communities, farmworkers in North Carolina and elsewhere [...]
India Unveils New Digital Health Platform and Mental Telehealth Projects
Two new digital health projects have just been announced by the Indian Government. The first is the Ayushman Bharat Digital [...]
Telehealth Experiences Uncertainty as Cross-State Care Wavers End
The slew of emergency orders allowing cross-state healthcare during the pandemic have begun to expire, cutting telecare for millions of [...]
Addressing Digital Health Inequity Requires Collaborative Approach
A recent international review found that the transition towards digital health solutions for primary care left many patients behind who [...]
Value in Health Regional Issues: Quantifying the Societal Benefits of Telehealth
Telehealth has seen a massive spike in utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic, but questions remain as to its economic value [...]
How to Bring Patients Back to their PCPs
CDC data from June 2020 shows a striking 41% of adults delayed medical care. In the time since, this avoidance [...]
MAPS Leadership Perspective: Impact of Digital on Healthcare
In the latest installment of the Medical Affairs Professional Society’s (MAPS) Perspectives series, John Pracyk, MD, PhD, MBA, talks with [...]
Medisafe Case Study: Human + Digital to Improve Medicare Adherence
A manufacturer collaborated with Lash Group and Medisafe to implement a digital support solution that helped improve patient medication compliance. [...]
The Future of Telehealth for Outpatient Mental Healthcare is Uncertain
Intensive outpatient therapy moved to a telehealth model for safety reasons during the COVID-19, but whether this new model will [...]