During the height of the coronavirus pandemic, venturing outside in New York felt like preparing for battle. Germs were invisible bullets from which we tried to shield ourselves using masks and distancing. Staying home was of course the safest course of action, but for some, going out to see a doctor was crucial to their […]
During the Coronavirus pandemic, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has taken unprecedented action to expand telehealth for Medicare beneficiaries. Since people were advised to stay at home to reduce risk of exposure of COVID-19, there was an urgency to increase access to telehealth services to help people who need routine care and […]
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated telemedicine expansions and provisions but as states approach emergency order expirations, the status of coverage and regulations remains uncertain. Five things to know: 1. Over the past few months, CMS Administrator Seema Verma has voiced her support for telemedicine expansions. In June, Ms. Verma confirmed that the agency is in the process of […]
An estimated three million-plus patients live in the United States with implanted cardiac devices, with 400,000 implanted annually. Follow-up care for these patients continues to evolve and become more challenging due to increasing clinical complexity of patients and diagnostic device features. Cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) include pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and loop recorders. Patients […]
CMS released its telehealth guidance for electronic clinical quality measures for telehealth-eligible clinicians in 2021. The agency listed 39 telehealth-eligible eCQMs for the next reporting period: 1. Preventive care and screening: screening for depression and follow-up plan2. Closing the referral loop: receipt of specialist report3. Functional status assessment for total hip replacement4. Functional status assessment for total […]
Members of the American Medical Association (AMA) want to keep the momentum telehealth gained during the COVID-19 pandemic going now that many patients have begun to rely on it. “We have moved forward a decade in the use of telemedicine in this country and it’s going to become, and will remain, an increasingly important part […]
The documents released earlier this month offer details on 42 eCQMs for telehealth services during the 2020 performance period and 39 eCQMs for telehealth services during the 2021 performance period. By Eric Wicklund July 13, 2020 – The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has released additional details on telehealth reimbursement through quality reporting programs for the 2020 […]
Researchers examined the effectiveness of telehealth in addressing rural-urban disparities in cancer care by establishing and analyzing synaptic knowledge networks presented at the 2020 ASCO Virtual Scientific Program. The synaptic knowledge network of telehealth implemented by researchers enhanced the reach and quality of care for patients as measured by volume, in-migration, clinical trial activity, and […]
A recent survey found that three-quarters of patients said they were very or completely satisfied with the virtual care they’d received, but many left the visit without understanding the next steps. By Kat Jercich July 13, 2020 Three-quarters of patients who obtained healthcare virtually during the pandemic said they want it to be a standard part […]
AS COVID-19 SPREAD across the nation from March to April 2020, use of telehealth services continued to grow. That surge is shown by FAIR Health’s Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker, which uses our database of over 31 billion private health care claim records – the largest such repository in the nation – to track the month-by-month evolution of […]
Digital health data is growing at such an astronomical rate that its volume is measured in exabytes – 2,314 exabytes, by one projection. (For the record, one exabyte = one billion gigabytes; and “all words ever spoken by human beings” would need 5 exabytes of storage if saved as text.) The value of this digital health […]
Using technology remotely to care for patients can go way beyond Zoom calls or basic telehealth measures. Professor Simon Malpas explains how tech can start to even out inequity in healthcare. Imagine you live in Ahipara, Northland. You also have early stage heart failure. It’s a 90-minute drive to your nearest hospital in Kerikeri. Your […]
The COVID-19 pandemic is increasing the use of telehealth in the United States, with 46 percent of consumers now preferring a telehealth visit over a traditional trip to a doctor’s office, according to a recent McKinsey & Company survey. In contrast, only 11 percent of patients preferred telehealth over office visits prior to the pandemic. […]
On June 25, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) announced its proposed Home Health Prospective Payment System Rule, for calendar year 2021 (the “Rule”), which aims to increase home health agency Medicare payment rates. This Rule also includes a provision to make permanent the regulatory changes related to telecommunication technologies in providing […]
With the last of the COVID-19 Telehealth Program awards handed out, the Federal Communications Commission is ready to review the $200 million program’s effectiveness and move on to the Connected Care Pilot. By Eric Wicklund July 10, 2020 – The Federal Communications Commission has drained its $200 million COVID-19 Telehealth Program. Wednesday’s announcement of the final 25 funding […]
