Lots of industry groups want to see the temporary government waivers enacted early on during the COVID-19 public health emergency – the ones enabling the vast expansion of telehealth and remote patient monitoring over the past four months – to be made permanent once the storm has subsided. And some legislators do too. But many, […]
Chronic disease management is a health care issue that continues to grow in relevance and importance for patients and their health care providers. An estimated 6 in 10 adults in the U.S. have a chronic disease, and 4 in 10 adults in the U.S. have two or more chronic diseases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and […]
As most are aware, the telehealth industry has experienced a major expansion during the COVID-19 pandemic. The volume of telehealth claim lines in April 2020 alone reportedly increased more than 8,000% versus April of 2019, based on privately-billed medical and dental claim records alone. In anticipation of this surge and to accommodate it, Congress, the U.S. Department of Health […]
A new task force aims to shine the spotlight on the role that consumer-facing mHealth and telehealth technology can play in tackling pandemics. The Consumer Technology Association today announced the launch of the Public Health Tech Initiative, a collective of more than a dozen healthcare providers and companies – many with a significant connected health footprint […]
Kristine Barrows felt anxious about her visits to Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) in Chicago. Even with a family member behind the wheel, the four-hour round trip from Barrows’ home in Ingalls, Indiana, on top of medical exams and consultations with multiple specialists, left Barrows physically and mentally exhausted. Her anxiety mounted after the […]
THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC has significantly altered the way Massachusetts residents live and work. Our healthcare system also changed nearly overnight as traditional medical groups scrambled to develop capacity to see patients remotely via phone and video visits. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts reported a hundredfold increase in telehealth visits within the first six weeks of the health […]
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Alexander Azar renewed the COVID-19 national public health emergency declaration. Azar posted a picture of himself on Twitter signing the renewal July 23 and said that the Trump administration will continue its “whole-of-America” response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. This is good news for primary care physicians who worried […]
As COVID-19 swab (PCR) and blood (antibody) testing continue to occur in greater numbers and diverse settings, it is important to recognize that the results of such tests are subject to HIPAA privacy and security compliance rules. There is a common public misconception that the declaration of a public health emergency has created a broad […]
COVID-19 has dramatically changed the way healthcare is delivered. Providers were forced to pivot quickly from total reliance on “in-person” visits to total reliance on alternative delivery methods. Between early March 2020 and early April 2020, the number of visits to ambulatory practices declined by nearly 60%. [1] While ambulatory visits are starting to rebound, […]
To build upon temporary legislative efforts to address telehealth coverage for COVID-19, multiple states have recently passed or proposed permanent legislation to require broader telehealth reimbursement by both private and public payers to extend beyond the public health emergency. State actions have varied widely in scope and duration, but a major focus of legislation has […]
Telehealth introduces a new approach to shared clinical decision making, facilitates trusted cooperation and patient engagement. For Siemens Healthineers, the COVID-19 pandemic sheds new light on digital solutions in value-based healthcare. Recently, millions of patients have realised how their health is dependent on access to a healthcare facility infrastructure. For the clinics and physicians, the […]
Before the pandemic, telehealth coverage was limited in scope. However, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently expanded coverage through its regulatory authority and waivers to encourage broad adoption of telehealth for the duration of the public health emergency. Accordingly, over the last few months, we have seen an exponential increase in telehealth. […]
In a blog post, CMS Administrator Seema Verma said the agency needs to assess telehealth reimbursement rates considering such significant uptake of virtual care during the COVID-19 pandemic. July 21, 2020 – Telehealth reimbursement rates is one area CMS is assessing in order to make Medicare telehealth expansions permanent after the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the agency’s […]
U.S. House Ways and Means Committee Republicans on Monday unveiled a discussion draft for a bill that would expand the availability of telehealth services under the Medicare program. Patients and stakeholders want to know if temporary waivers issued by Congress and the administration to expand telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic will become a permanent part […]