The response to COVID-19 has increased access to telehealth, and those changes may be here to stay. Read on for expected changes in waivers, coming data privacy and cybersecurity concerns, guidance for skilled nursing facilities, and more. CMS May Extend Telehealth Waivers The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is considering extending waivers on […]
The Order of Malta Clinic of Northern California is using a new telehealth platform to improve access and care for thousands of residents in and around Oakland – many of whom have no other access to care. By Eric Wicklund June 19, 2020 – A community health clinic in Oakland that offers free healthcare to underserved populations is […]
What a time to be alive. Despite this phrase being a personal favorite, I would guess that most of us think of these six-words—or some variation thereof—on a daily basis. At the beginning of this year, most Americans likely expected the presidential election to dominate the news cycle of 2020. Fast-forward a few short months, […]
Jen Singer became sick with an unidentified respiratory illness while visiting Seattle in February, before many knew enough to be worried about COVID-19. The fever and coughing delayed the 53-year-old’s trip back home to New Jersey. During an April telehealth visit, Singer didn’t have traditional COVID-19 symptoms. She felt abdominal fullness and had difficulty breathing […]
HealthDay)—If you have diabetes and live in rural America, the closest specialist may be hours away. But new research shows that effective help may be as close as your phone. The study found that a six-month telehealth program led to a significant drop in blood sugar levels. Participants had an average A1C level of 9.25% at […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has thrust upon the healthcare industry countless profound and likely permanent changes, not the least of which is in telehealth. Over the next several months, White and Williams will publish a series of articles that address how this rapid surge in telehealth and the related regulatory developments will impact liability and other […]
When the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic began to spread rapidly in the US in early March, nearly every institution across the country was given a Darwinian ultimatum: adapt, or get left behind. The medical field was no different. For many medical professionals, telemedicine was widely discussed theory of practice; its actual use was a more limited, […]
The COVID-19 public health emergency has forcefully opened the door for widespread adoption of telehealth, remote patient monitoring, and other digital health platforms by patients and providers alike. Using statutory authority to waive certain Medicare requirements during a time of national emergency, Congress and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have implemented a […]
Last month, I had the immense honor of testifying before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging to take part in an important discussion on caring for America’s aging population in the midst of the current public health crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic has upended American life in nearly every possible way. And while it’s difficult to find […]
COVID-19 HAS HAD a devastating impact on our lives, our healthcare system, and our economy, but one silver lining has been the immediate and dramatic expansion of telehealth services. We’d be foolish not to seize this opportunity to ensure that telehealth access remains a part of routine medical care in the Commonwealth long after the pandemic is over. Teleheatlh […]
Last week, new legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that would require Medicare to reimburse certain telehealth services post the public health emergency period. If passed, the bipartisan Helping Ensure Access to Local TeleHealth Act of 2020 or HEALTH Act of 2020 (the “HEALTH Act of 2020”) would codify Medicare reimbursement and allow […]
As a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, State Medicaid programs have expanded options for telehealth services. Rapid expansion of telehealth may pose challenges for State agencies and providers, including State oversight of these services. Our objective is to determine whether State agencies and providers complied with Federal and State requirements for telehealth […]
AHRQ has created a sample telehealth consent form (Word, 27 KB) that is easy to understand. The form includes language for healthcare providers that have curtailed in-person visits due to COVID-19. AHRQ has also created how-to guidance for clinicians on how to obtain informed consent for telehealth. Why should we use easy-to-understand telehealth consent forms? Some States do not […]
By KEN TERRY Telehealth has been a lifeline for many doctors and patients during the pandemic, and the decisions of CMS and many private payers to cover telehealth visits—in some cases, at full parity with in-person visits–has helped physician practices stave off bankruptcy. Assuming that these policies remain in effect after the pandemic, I agree with […]
By Kat Jercich During the opening keynote of the 2020 American Telemedicine Association conference, ATA CEO Ann Mond Johnson pointed to the transformative effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on telehealth. “This health emergency has launched telehealth” to new heights, Johnson said. Given the social distancing measures that necessitated a limitation on in-person care, “consumers realized telehealth […]
