Before Covid-19, pursuing Federal broadband grant funds was orderly and straightforward. Some grants paid for broadband infrastructure that was restricted to school premises. Federal grants funded healthcare-related broadband in public hospitals and clinics. Other agency programs funded broadband in city and county offices, libraries, and public facilities. A couple of smaller agencies funded residential and […]
The AMA is warning the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that rate-cutting provisions in its proposed 2021 Medicare physician payment schedule pose “a very real threat to the ability of many physicians to deliver health care services to their patients.” CMS has proposed new office-visit policies that should result in a significant reduction […]
Telehealth was available prior to COVID-19 but its use certainly wasn’t as widespread as it is today. Telemedicine has been used for some time in the U.S. and has been preferable to some, worrisome to others. Now that the COVID-19 pandemic has hit, it seems to have quickly become the norm and seems to be […]
J.D. Power’s 2020 Telehealth Satisfaction Study identifies 10 key performance indicators that providers should use to ensure patient satisfaction. By Eric Wicklund October 09, 2020 – One of the challenges of creating a sustainable telehealth platform is figuring out what to measure and how to measure it. While clinical outcomes and changes to provider workflows are on the […]
Eligible providers will get payment of 2% of annual revenue from patient care plus an add-on payment. New COVID-19 relief funding is being released. The Trump Administration has announced $20 billion in new funding for providers fighting COVID-19, but the president has ended negotiations with Democratic leaders over a new relief package until after the […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to new rules and expectations for clinical trials. Following guidance from federal agencies, institutions such as UT Southwestern adjusted clinical trial operations. To protect patient safety, changes such as utilizing remote consents, conducting telehealth study visits, and shipping oral study treatment to patients’ homes have streamlined the clinical trial participation […]
This week, the comment period closed for the calendar year 2021 (CY21) Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) proposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The PFS is an annual rule-making process through which CMS identifies codes and payment rates to be used to reimburse Medicare Part B physician services in the following calendar year. The […]
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, state Medicaid agencies have temporarily expanded their telehealth coverage and reimbursement policies in varying degrees. States, providers, advocates and families recognize the important role that telehealth has played in maintaining access to care during the pandemic and are now turning to the difficult work of evaluating which components of […]
Home care agencies and their services have always been valuable to the patients they serve. But being able to demonstrate that value to payers requires more than just patient testimonials. As the home care industry enters into an era filled with new tailwinds, including Medicare Advantage (MA) and managed care opportunities, providers need to create […]
The COVID-19 pandemic was a real turning point, not only for people, but also for businesses across the world. Organizations had to change their operating models overnight and adapt to new ways of working to ensure business continuity and to manage the demands of the pandemic. Organizations, especially in the most impacted sectors like healthcare, […]
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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 to provide our clients with quick and […]
To ensure telehealth provisions lifted during the COVID-19 pandemic become permanent, U.S. Reps. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., and Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., are focusing on broadband access and Medicare reimbursement initiatives, according to NextGov. Three details: 1. The lawmakers said that HIPAA relaxations enacted during the public health emergency, including allowing telehealth visits over platforms such as Zoom […]
A new J.D. Power survey showed that patient satisfaction scores for telehealth reached 860 on a 1,000-point scale. By Sara Heath October 07, 2020 – Telehealth is one of the top health sectors yielding a high patient satisfaction score, but just about half of patients are still citing some barriers to virtual care access, according to the J.D. Power 2020 […]
