BY ARIELLE KANE, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR — 09/07/20 11:00 AM EDT Over the last few months, millions of Americans have used telehealth services — the remote delivery of care and health monitoring using digital telecommunications tools — to get health care. Federal and state policymakers have made it easier to access telehealth during the pandemic to keep […]
The use of telehealth has exploded as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. For it to continue gaining momentum, private and public payers must appropriately reimburse for telehealth, according to the latest report from Insights by Xtelligent Healthcare Media. Healthcare leaders will continue to invest in telehealth tools and infrastructure. But organizations need support from […]
A group of Senators is asking CMS to expand coverage for telehealth services delivered by home health care providers. With Congress and the government still haggling over how to extend telehealth coverage beyond the coronavirus pandemic, a group of Senators is pushing for additional flexibilities for home health care providers. In a letter to the heads […]
Last week, the White House hosted a virtual “Roundtable Discussion on Embracing Technology and Telehealth” with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma, Director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation and Deputy Assistant to the President Brad Smith, and healthcare leaders from across the country. At the event, the White […]
With the rapid use of telehealth resulting from the pandemic, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a new toolkit to help the Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP) accelerate their adoption of telehealth coverage during this time. The toolkit is designed to walk states through identifying policies that they will need to address […]
The commission, which advises Congress on issues affecting Medicare, put forth a number of options aimed at maximizing care access while minimizing risk. By Kat Jercich September 09, 2020 04:56 PM In a virtual public meeting this past Friday, members of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission discussed how – and whether – to permanently expand telehealth […]
The grants are part of a two-year program launched by HHS’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to help states and Tribal organizations use telehealth and other resource to tackle the opioid abuse crisis. Federal officials are issuing roughly $1.5 billion to healthcare providers and other organizations to help them use telehealth and […]
Proposed rule would bring new treatments, tests and medical technologies to Medicare beneficiaries faster Today, under President Trump’s leadership, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule that unleashes innovative technology so Medicare beneficiaries have access to the latest, most cutting-edge devices. Today’s action represents a step forward that will help […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has issued a proposed rule that aims to allow Medicare coverage for “breakthrough devices,” giving providers and patients access to cutting-edge telemedicine and mHealth tools. Federal officials are proposing to expand Medicare coverage for new telemedicine and mHealth technologies classified as “breakthrough medical devices.” The Centers for Medicare […]
Kimberly Sanders was recovering from a heroin addiction when the coronavirus struck. She had been homeless before and struggled to commute long distances for treatments. But because of her failure to attend several appointments, her previous doctors stopped seeing her. Years later, in a bid to get clean, she moved to Estes Park, Colorado, and began attending […]
A group of 14 Democratic senators penned a letter to FCC chairman Ajit Pai on Aug. 20 detailing what they say is the agency’s failure to manage the Rural Health Care Program and COVID-19 Telehealth Program. In the letter, the senators said that FCC “has not made sufficient funding available, has delayed rural healthcare funding decisions, and […]
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and other federal agencies are joining forces to increase access to telehealth solutions in rural areas across the U.S. According to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) issued in early September, the FCC, along with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will […]
The American Hospital Association (AHA) is calling on President Donald J. Trump to make permanent telehealth flexibilities introduced as part of the nation’s response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. The call comes in a letter addressed directly to Trump sent Aug. 19. It says that the flexibilities put in place by the U.S. Department of Health and […]
The grants, part of a $35 million package announced last week, target programs that expand telehealth access for emergency services, rural health research and telementoring. Federal officials have announced almost $12 million in grants aimed at expanding access to telehealth services in rural parts of the country. The awards are part of more than $35 million […]
It’s been 24 years since the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was signed into law. Designed to protect the privacy, security and integrity of protected health information (PHI), the law has been notoriously difficult to comply with and requires organizations to have specific measures in place to safeguard this information. Combine these challenges […]
