A new Health Affairs blog urges the federal government to continue telehealth waivers for substance abuse treatment during the COVID-19 emergency and asks for permanent changes to safeguards around the use of buprenorphine. By Eric Wicklund September 18, 2020 – A group of clinicians and public health experts is pressing the federal government to make permanent telehealth policy […]
The patient portal hadn’t exactly yielded strong patient use. That was, until COVID-19 came. The pandemic has served as a key use case for the patient portal in care management. September 18, 2020 – When it comes to patient engagement technology, the patient portal is somewhat like an umbrella. You might not use it very often, but […]
Beyond the toll the novel coronavirus has taken on our friends and loved ones, COVID-19 has brought to light how our healthcare system has been challenged in the face of a pandemic and a surging influx of patients. Beyond the terrible toll the novel coronavirus has taken on our friends and loved ones, COVID-19 has […]
Almost $23 million in federal funding is going to several mHealth and telehealth projects aimed at improving detection, care management and monitoring of people infected with the coronavirus. By Eric Wicklund September 17, 2020 – The University of California at San Francisco and eight digital health companies are receiving almost $23 million in federal funding to develop telehealth […]
Jackie Drees – Wednesday, September 16th, 2020 The American Telemedicine Association, National Committee for Quality Assurance and Alliance for Connected Care’s national telehealth policy taskforce released recommendations this month for permanent virtual care expansion. The Taskforce on Telehealth Policy, which comprises healthcare leaders from 20 organizations including Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente, Humana and Amwell, compiled the recommendations after analyzing more than […]
Jackie Drees – Wednesday, September 16th, 2020 A new wave of consumerism is leading healthcare’s shift to remote patient monitoring, with big tech players like Apple and Amazon carving out a presence alongside smaller virtual care platforms, according to a Sept. 16 STAT report. Six details: 1. Healthcare consumers are now focused on using digital technologies to either monitor […]
The health industry has increasingly emphasized convenience these past few decades, with methods developed to seamlessly integrate health management into our daily routines. Gone are the days in which people needed an entire day off just to see the doctor. This same focus has taken on extra meaning as of late, with the pandemic creating […]
As with any crisis, COVID-19 has exposed and widened existing cracks in the foundations of our nation’s healthcare infrastructure. This instability is particularly evident in senior care, given the extreme levying of pressure on health systems, providers and staff. With the weight of the pandemic miring classic models of care delivery, how can virtual care […]
When the pandemic hit, health systems across the U.S. rapidly scaled their telehealth platforms to meet the urgent demand for virtual care. The federal government and commercial payers relaxed regulations around telehealth to cover additional services and boost pay rates so health systems could continue to operate safely in the virtual environment. CIOs and their […]
Its recommendations include lifting limitations on originating sites, allowing telehealth for various types of conditions and reinstating the HIPAA provisions temporarily lifted during the public health emergency. By Kat Jercich September 15, 202002:01 PM The Taskforce on Telehealth Policy released a final report on Tuesday outlining its findings and recommendations around safeguarding the future of telehealth after the […]
Remote healthcare recommendations set guidelines for policymakers Twenty-three of the nation’s leading healthcare experts released their much-anticipated final report on Tuesday, September 15, identifying challenges and opportunities for telehealth in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Taskforce on Telehealth Policy, convened by the National Committee for Quality Assurance, the Alliance for Connected Care, and the American Telemedicine […]
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth technology had been incrementally changing the practice of family medicine in the United States. In March 2020, only 13% of American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) members had provided video or telephone visits to their patients. By May 2020, 94% of members were regularly doing so, aided by sweeping […]
The FCC’s Connected Care Pilot Program is poised to defray eligible health care providers’ costs of providing certain telehealth services. On September 3, 2020, the FCC issued additional information and guidance for potential applicants. On April 2, 2020, the FCC adopted final rules to establish the Connected Care Pilot Program with the intent of helping defray the […]
CMS also reported that ACOs in the Medicare Shared Savings Program saved more under new Pathway to Success tracks and if they assumed downside risk. By Jacqueline LaPointe September 15, 2020 – Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) generated $1.19 billion in total net savings to Medicare in 2019, representing the third consecutive year for net program savings and […]
Katie Adams The White House, CMS and other federal agencies have been issuing new policies and grants to expand telehealth access and use during the COVID-19 pandemic. Below is a list of updated policies, grants and other actions taken to support telehealth in response to COVID-19. March 6: President Donald Trump signed an $8.3 billion emergency funding bill […]