— Reports of quality improvement at hospitals across the country by Nicole Lou, Staff Writer, MedPage Today October 9, 2020 Standardized processes and patient education were key to faster, better care for people with heart disease or suspected heart disease. These and other lessons were emphasized in quality improvement initiatives shared at this year’s virtual ACC Quality Summit hosted […]
Even after the pandemic, patients will be unwilling to return to the less-streamlined status quo, says Clive Smith. By Kat Jercich October 09, 2020 01:29 PM As the COVID-19 crisis began sweeping through the country this spring, hospitals sought a way for clinicians to treat infectious patients while maintaining distance from them if possible. In that […]
The eHealth Initiative has released a list of policy recommendations designed to improve telehealth adoption and coverage during and after the coronavirus pandemic. By Eric Wicklund October 09, 2020 – The eHealth Initiative has unveiled recommendations for federal policy changes to help expand telehealth access and coverage during and beyond the coronavirus pandemic. The 22-page report comes roughly a […]
Bipartisan letter to CMS seeks to ensure coverage for the full range of essential hearing, speech, and language services Today, Rep. Cindy Axne (IA-03) and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01) led a letter with 32 other colleagues to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma, urging her to expand Medicare telehealth coverage of valuable audiology and speech-language pathology during […]
Covid-19 has catapulted medicine into a new, virtual world. Although telemedicine has been around for years, it’s quickly transitioned in the last 6 months from a “nice-to-have” for medical practices, to a real necessity. Today, physicians rely on telemedicine to see their patients, as well as diagnose and treat minor and chronic conditions. But what […]
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 […]
