Quality impacts health outcomes. But do in-person quality measures meaningfully translate to telemedicine? Do the same measures that predict a doctor’s ability to deliver excellent in-person care also predict if s/he is a good “virtualist?” COVID-19 has transformed telehealth. Within weeks of the pandemic, most practices across America had adopted some type of virtual service. […]
When a mysterious rash broke out on Missy Eckstein’s face and stomach, her first instinct was to head to the local urgent care facility to have someone diagnose and treat her. But the Massachusetts woman said that, in hindsight, she wished she had started with a telehealth appointment first. “I was given a wrong diagnosis,” […]
Home health providers are one step closer to getting the No. 1 thing they’ve been asking for since the COVID-19 pandemic began: reimbursement for telehealth-driven visits. On Friday, U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.) introduced the Home Health Emergency Access to Telehealth (HEAT) Act, a bipartisan bill to provide Medicare reimbursement for […]
The COVID-19 pandemic is driving enormous demand for virtual mental health care services. Teletherapy providers have seen record uptake since March, and the need for mental health support appears to be growing as patients confront the stress of the pandemic and social crises. Ginger, which offers text-based mental health coaching, teletherapy and psychiatry, reports that utilization […]
WASHINGTON (October 23, 2020)—U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) introduced the Home Health Emergency Access to Telehealth (HEAT) Act late Friday, a bipartisan bill to provide Medicare reimbursement for audio and video telehealth services furnished by home health agencies during the COVID-19 emergency and future public health emergencies. U.S. Representatives Roger Marshall […]
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues across the United States, states, payers, and providers are looking for ways to expand access to telehealth services. Telehealth is an essential tool in ensuring patients are able to access the healthcare services they need in as safe a manner as possible. In order to provide our clients with quick and […]
Addressed holistically, India could not only leapfrog and become a model for digital health adoption, but healthcare could well be India’s primary driver of growth and employment. By Anil Nair The global pandemic has brought healthcare under the lens like never before. While hospitals and healthcare providers are manning the frontlines to limit the spread of the virus, […]
Reduced demand for lucrative elective procedures is forcing hospital systems to merge or partner up to augment other services that have boomed during the pandemic. By Sydney Halleman Hospital systems are turning to joint ventures and other types of partnerships to add high-demand services quickly and efficiently. Telehealth, home health and out-patient services, which have increased […]
Only 20% of US health systems said they’d continue offering telehealth if reimbursement rates reverted to pre-pandemic levels. This could make patients flock to direct-to-consumer virtual care providers like 98point6. A mere 20% of US health systems said they’d continue offering telehealth if reimbursement rates reverted to pre-pandemic levels, while another 30% are unsure whether […]
A new bill before Congress would mandate Medicare coverage for at-home COVID-19 tests integrated with a telehealth platform. By Eric Wicklund October 22, 2020 – Lawmakers are now trying to integrate COVID-19 testing with a telehealth visit for seniors and others at risk of contracting the virus. The Safe Testing at Residence Telehealth (START) Act of 2020, unveiled […]
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct. 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Frost & Sullivan’s recent analysis, Digital Hospitals: Creating Growth Opportunities in Patient Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond, finds that digital hospitals that deploy smart technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), remote health monitoring, and robotics, deliver higher standards of patient care and hassle-free experiences for health professionals. The adoption […]
States could take a two-pronged approach to extend Medicaid telephonic or audio-only coverage beyond the pandemic, according to Jacqueline Marks, a manager with the Manatt Health division of the Manatt, Phelps & Phillips law firm. Under the approach, included in a list of suggested policy actions she drafted, states would: 1) Create a policy that allows coverage […]
As home health and home care operators move toward the ninth month of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s important to take stock of what has been accomplished from a policy perspective. Many of 2020’s regulatory changes will be fleeting, but others will shape the future of post-acute care for years to come. That was the message […]
Providers have looked to telehealth to continue seeing patients and revenue cycle technologies to improve efficiencies. Jeff Lagasse, Associate Editor When the COVID-19 pandemic hit earlier this year, it presented health systems across the U.S. with a need to accelerate innovation during an unprecedented time that shut down many in-person medical services. Health systems quickly turned […]
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, most health systems (91 percent) have been able to fully meet telehealth demand thanks to decreased regulations and increased reimbursement rates. For its “Top of Mind for Top Health Systems 2021: Digital health priorities in the era of COVID-19” report, KLAS Research partnered with Pittsburgh-based Center for Connected Medicine to survey […]