CMS has added 11 services to Medicare’s telehealth reimbursement list for the duration of the pandemic and released new resources for state Medicaid and CHIP programs looking to expand their connected health offerings. By Eric Wicklund October 15, 2020 – The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has announced that 11 more telehealth services will qualify for Medicare […]
As hospitals faced a deluge of patients early in the COVID-19 pandemic, many implemented remote solutions to manage individuals at home to keep from being overwhelmed – all at a speed unthinkable in more normal times. That experience promises to accelerate and transform telemedicine long after the threat of COVID-19 recedes, according to a report […]
CMS on Oct. 14 added 11 new services to the list of telehealth services that Medicare will reimburse during the COVID-19 public health emergency. The Trump administration announced March 17 that CMS will temporarily pay clinicians to provide telehealth services for beneficiaries during the pandemic. Since the public health emergency began, CMS has added more than 135 […]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s latest round of Distance Learning and Telemedicine grants, totaling $72 million, will go to 116 programs in 40 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The aid falls under the USDA’s Rural Utilities Service Telecommunications Program. “Increasing access to telemedicine and distance learning is critical to building healthier and […]
The AMA’s Behavioral Health Integration Collaborative, coming on the heels of last week’s Executive Order, aims to help providers use telehealth to integrate mental and behavioral health services into primary care. By Eric Wicklund October 13, 2020 – Healthcare providers will be getting some help in learning how to use telehealth to integrate mental health services into standard […]
More than 30 members of Congress have sent a letter to CMS Administrator Seema Verma asking her to expand COVID-19 telehealth coverage for audiology and speech-language pathology services. By Eric Wicklund October 13, 2020 – The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is again facing calls to expand telehealth coverage for audiology and speech-language pathology during the coronavirus […]
Increased telehealth access during the pandemic may have changed the content of primary care appointments. How will this affect care in the future? By Sara Heath October 13, 2020 – Telehealth was instrumental in offsetting some of the serious decrease in primary care access during the onset of the COVID-19 public health crisis, but a retrospective analysis is highlighting some […]
By Robert Holly | October 8, 2020 Hospital admissions across the U.S. fell dramatically in spring with the onset of the COVID-19 virus. That sudden drop, in turn, caused patient volumes to plummet for home health providers that work primarily with acute referral sources. While hospital admissions rebounded in summer, they remain far below pre-pandemic levels, according to […]
CMS’s Medicare Advantage preview from September revealed that 738 plans are offering supplemental benefits under the “primarily health-related” pathway in 2021, a 46% increase compared to the nearly 500 plans that did so in 2020. The preview similarly showed that 920 plans are offering benefits under the Special Supplemental Benefits for the Chronically Ill (SSBCI) […]
Telehealth visits did account for 35 percent of all primary care encounters in Q2 2020, but it wasn’t enough to fill the primary care void at the height of COVID-19 Rajiv Leventhal Oct 12th, 2020 In response to the pandemic and shelter-in-place orders earlier this year, providers aggressively turned to telehealth for care delivery, when […]
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, technology has become a necessary part of people’s everyday life—apps can be used to get groceries, communicate with family, or even become a doctor’s office. For those of us living in the Denison bubble, we are confined to what the university is able to offer us, including access […]
While telehealth use has increased in response to COVID-19 as well as patient satisfaction with the service, barriers still exist for patients trying to access it, including those at high risk, according to Troy-based J.D. Power. The J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Telehealth Satisfaction Study was released Oct. 1. “The COVID-19 pandemic has been a moment […]
Governor Gavin Newsom has signed legislation allowing local EMS providers to develop community paramedicine programs, which often use telehealth tools to screen 911 calls and improve care coordination at home. By Eric Wicklund October 12, 2020 – California is now allowing local EMS providers to develop community paramedicine programs, which could use telehealth or mHealth tools to triage […]
Distance Learning and Telemedicine Investments will Benefit More Than 12 Million Rural Residents WASHINGTON, Oct. 7, 2020 – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $72 million in grants to help rural residents gain access to health care and educational opportunities. These investments will benefit more than 12 […]
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has announced that the USDA will distribute a combined $72 million in grants to help rural citizens access educational opportunities and telehealth care. The grants are expected to benefit over 12 million rural residents nationwide. “Increasing access to telemedicine and distance learning is critical to building […]
