There is no question that during the pandemic and duration of the public health emergency, telehealth rose to the occasion demonstrating its tremendous benefits to the health care industry and will likely remain an integral part of the health care delivery system. As we move out of the pandemic and the public health emergency wanes, […]
The COVID-19 pandemic prodded governments into a “tipping point” that brought long-overdue digital transformations, yet also revealed the distances many still have to go, according to a new report this week from the consulting firm Deloitte. The study, which queried 800 government officials from eight countries including the United States, found that many agencies are […]
Cancer patients who receive hospital-at-home care are less likely to experience unplanned hospitalizations, new research suggests. Those individuals likewise account for lower health care costs. The new findings — focused on Huntsman at Home, a cancer hospital-at-home model operated by the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah — were published earlier this month […]
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 25, 2021)—Recently, legislation has been introduced in both the Senate and House of Representatives that would make various improvements to the provision of telehealth. The Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act of 2021 (S. 1512/H.R. 2903) is being led by Sens. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Roger […]
It is not a coincidence that two symbolic healthcare policy events took place this week. I’m talking about the Senate’s confirmation of Chiquita Brooks-LaSure as administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the introduction of H.R. 3447, the Permanency for Audio-Only Telehealth Act. The latter would allow for Medicare coverage of audio-only telehealth services […]
Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Jerry Moran (R-KS) introduced the bipartisan Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act to make current telehealth flexibilities permanent. This legislation would ensure rural and underserved community healthcare providers are able to continue offering telehealth services after the current public health emergency ends. […]
Texas may be among the first of many states to enact laws that encourage providers to continue electronically communicating with and monitoring their patients after COVID-19 emergency regulations and governors’ orders expire. State legislatures are acknowledging the advantages telehealth offered during COVID-19 and are making major changes to pre-pandemic law to accommodate its continued use […]
A study by researchers at Mayo Clinic Cancer Center has found that cancer patients diagnosed with COVID-19 who received care at home via remote patient monitoring were significantly less likely to require hospitalization for their illness, compared to cancer patients with COVID-19 who did not participate in the program. Results of the study were presented Friday, June 4, at […]
With the pandemic in the rear-view mirror, people are going back to the ER, and payers are trying to steer them instead toward mHealth apps, telehealth platforms and retail clinics. By Eric Wicklund June 09, 2021 – With hospital emergency departments moving back toward pre-COVID-19 traffic levels, some payers are renewing efforts to steer their members away from […]
Medicare nursing home residents would keep their access to some telehealth flexibilities adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic long after the public health crisis is over under a new proposal from a bipartisan group of lawmakers. The legislation — Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act — was introduced late last week by Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Joe […]
Meanwhile, Oregon becomes the latest state to enact its own telehealth legislation. By Kat Jercich June 15, 2021 02:55 PM U.S. senators this past week introduced another bill aimed at making telehealth flexibilities permanent under Medicare – including audio-only telehealth appointments. The Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act is geared toward ensuring underserved community health providers are able […]
The pandemic was marked by remote patient monitoring and telehealth use to monitor and manage health at home, but future innovation is needed to meet consumer needs. By Sara Heath June 16, 2021 – More people than ever have bought remote patient monitoring into their homes, with Deloitte finding that 14 percent of healthcare consumers bought a fitness tracker like […]
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Tina Smith (D-MN), John Thune (R-SD), and Ben Cardin (D-MD) introduced the bipartisan Telemental Health Care Access Act of 2021 to remove barriers to telemental health services for Medicare beneficiaries. “Over the pandemic, we’ve seen an increased need for telehealth services whether it’s for substance use disorders, physical ailments or […]
The COVID-19 pandemic changed life as we know it forever — and how we talk about it. Below are 15 words that have gained a new meaning during the pandemic, solidified their place in public dialogue or didn’t even exist a year and a half ago. Breakthrough. After the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, use of the […]
At a meeting this week, the American Medical Association’s delegates adopted new policies specifically targeting peer-to-peer review of prior authorization decisions and the particular burden of prior authorization during a public health emergency. The country’s largest physician organization is taking steps to rein in bureaucratic prior authorization requirements that can lead to delayed and disruptive treatment […]
