The American Telemedicine Association and Alliance for Connected Care are among a group of 430 organizations urging Congress to expand virtual care coverage before the COVID-19 public health emergency ends. The organizations sent a letter July 26 to lawmakers asking to approve permanent telehealth provisions for Medicare beneficiaries, including removing geographical barriers for telehealth usage […]
The American Medical Association has launched a new program to help providers craft a long-term strategy for telehealth scalability and sustainability. By Eric Wicklund June 14, 2021 – The American Medical Association has launched a new program aimed at helping providers optimize and expand their telehealth programs. Meg Barron, the AMA’s vice president of digital health strategy, says the […]
Video conferences have long outlived their charm, but one pandemic staple remains popular: the virtual doctor’s visit. Now politicians around the country are racing against deadlines to make sure their constituents aren’t forced back to in-person medicine if they don’t want it. For months, Jim Des Marais, who has ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, has been […]
The use of telehealth has exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic, but critical issues related to health inequity, state medical licensure requirements, regulation and payment must be addressed for this mode of care to continue to flourish beyond the public health emergency. The AMA House of Delegates (HOD) took several actions with the aim of doing just that. […]
A group of Senators has re-introduced a bill that would establish Medicare coverage for telehealth services in CMS-sanctioned Diabetes Prevention Programs. By Eric Wicklund June 24, 2021 – A group of Senators has re-introduced a bill that would establish Medicare coverage for care providers who use telehealth in diabetes prevention programs. The Promoting Responsible and Effective Virtual Experiences through […]
Texas may be among the first of many states to enact laws that encourage providers to continue electronically communicating with and monitoring their patients after COVID-19 emergency regulations and governors’ orders expire. State legislatures are acknowledging the advantages telehealth offered during COVID-19 and are making major changes to pre-pandemic law to accommodate its continued use […]
The COVID-19 pandemic changed life as we know it forever — and how we talk about it. Below are 15 words that have gained a new meaning during the pandemic, solidified their place in public dialogue or didn’t even exist a year and a half ago. Breakthrough. After the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, use of the […]
Once mastered, the remote patient monitoring platform gives the practice a pathway to establishing meaningful care management. June 07, 2021 – As the nation’s healthcare ecosystem looks to embrace value-based care, concepts like remote patient monitoring are gaining favor with providers—particularly medical practices—who want to improve care management. As with any relatively new service, remote patient monitoring […]
Lawmakers have resubmitted the Expanded Telehealth Access Act, which would permanently extend Medicare coverage to telehealth services provided by physical and occupational therapists, audiologists and speech and language pathologists. By Eric Wicklund March 26, 2021 – A group of lawmakers has resubmitted a bill seeking to permanently expand Medicare coverage to telehealth services provided by physical and occupational therapists, […]
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, federal agencies have sought to allow health care companies more flexibility to use popular technology and applications to better engage with their patients. One example is the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Civil Rights (OCR), which issued a notice that it will allow health care providers to use widely-available communications software without […]
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee that sets national health policy, and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) formally introduced bipartisan legislation today to close the digital divide in health care and address racial and ethnic disparities in maternal health outcomes. The Tech to Save Moms Act will […]
Minutes after the full Senate confirmed Xavier Becerra’s cabinet nomination, advocacy groups were reminding him of the need to bring the American healthcare system “into the 21st century.” By Kat Jercich March 18, 2021 03:19 PM Health advocacy groups congratulated new U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra on his confirmation Thursday […]
