COVID-19 has made clear the importance of reducing contact between potentially infectious patients and providers – while ensuring those patients get the highest quality of care. One solution, proposed panelists at a recent HIMSS20 Digital session, lies with a robust remote patient-monitoring system inside hospital rooms. “COVID-19 has introduced quite an interesting challenge to healthcare […]
COVID-19 hit hospitals hard, leaving providers with an influx of new patients and uncertainty about how to move forward. A new commentary in Circulation: Heart Failure offers a first-hand account of how one facility faced the pandemic head-on, embracing telehealth to ensure patients with advanced heart failure (HF) received the high-quality care they deserve. “At our institution, […]
Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) is real-time or near real-time evaluation of a patient’s clinical status outside of a traditional healthcare setting. RPM leverages wireless devices (e.g., weight scale, blood pressure monitor), often integrated with a software platform, to monitor patients’ health status. Providers can use RPM to manage patients with a range of chronic conditions […]
Abstract Rapid spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) forced an abrupt shift in the traditional US health care delivery model to meet the needs of patients, staff, and communities. Through federal policy changes on telehealth, patient care shifted from in-person to telephone or video visits, and health care providers reached out to patients most at […]
In response to the telehealth expansions and increased usage during the pandemic, CMS is reviewing the temporary regulation changes it made and assessing which should become permanent, according to CMS Administrator Seema Verma. In a July 15 Health Affairs article, Ms. Verma addressed the benefits that telehealth expansions have crafted during the pandemic and what challenges CMS […]
Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Department of Health and Human Services made sweeping changes that expanded telehealth coverage for Medicare patients. A bill introduced to the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday would make some of them permanent. The Protecting Access to Post-Covid-19 Telehealth Act would codify one of the most significant changes made during the […]
Leaders of the House telehealth caucus introduced legislation Thursday to permanently open up access to telehealth services for Medicare patients. The bipartisan bill , the Protecting Access to Post-Covid-19 Telehealth Act, will extend the use of telehealth that was expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic by eliminating restrictions on the use in Medicare. That would provide a […]
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.–The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has broadly affected how health care is provided in the United States. One notable change is the expanded use of telehealth services, which have been quickly adopted by many health care providers and payers, including Medicare, to ensure patients’ access to care while reducing their risk of […]
During the height of the coronavirus pandemic, venturing outside in New York felt like preparing for battle. Germs were invisible bullets from which we tried to shield ourselves using masks and distancing. Staying home was of course the safest course of action, but for some, going out to see a doctor was crucial to their […]
During the Coronavirus pandemic, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has taken unprecedented action to expand telehealth for Medicare beneficiaries. Since people were advised to stay at home to reduce risk of exposure of COVID-19, there was an urgency to increase access to telehealth services to help people who need routine care and […]
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated telemedicine expansions and provisions but as states approach emergency order expirations, the status of coverage and regulations remains uncertain. Five things to know: 1. Over the past few months, CMS Administrator Seema Verma has voiced her support for telemedicine expansions. In June, Ms. Verma confirmed that the agency is in the process of […]
An estimated three million-plus patients live in the United States with implanted cardiac devices, with 400,000 implanted annually. Follow-up care for these patients continues to evolve and become more challenging due to increasing clinical complexity of patients and diagnostic device features. Cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) include pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) and loop recorders. Patients […]
CMS released its telehealth guidance for electronic clinical quality measures for telehealth-eligible clinicians in 2021. The agency listed 39 telehealth-eligible eCQMs for the next reporting period: 1. Preventive care and screening: screening for depression and follow-up plan2. Closing the referral loop: receipt of specialist report3. Functional status assessment for total hip replacement4. Functional status assessment for total […]
Members of the American Medical Association (AMA) want to keep the momentum telehealth gained during the COVID-19 pandemic going now that many patients have begun to rely on it. “We have moved forward a decade in the use of telemedicine in this country and it’s going to become, and will remain, an increasingly important part […]
The documents released earlier this month offer details on 42 eCQMs for telehealth services during the 2020 performance period and 39 eCQMs for telehealth services during the 2021 performance period. By Eric Wicklund July 13, 2020 – The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has released additional details on telehealth reimbursement through quality reporting programs for the 2020 […]