Maria knew something was wrong. A working mom in her mid-thirties, Maria has diabetes — and she was feeling more fatigued than usual. She thought it could be a urinary tract infection (UTI), so she booked a video visit — a virtual consultation with a physician. The doctor agreed something wasn’t right and sent her […]
Medi-Cal, California’s sprawling Medicaid program, is working under new rules expanding reimbursement for telemedicine. Medi-Cal currently serves more than 13.5 million residents. Telemedicine is increasingly seen as a way to help the hard-pressed program carry out its mission while the state struggles with a growing shortage of doctors. The new rules offer pay parity for […]
CMS just released the 2020 final rule with changes to its virtual care codes. The new provision, officially titled “Communication Technology-Based Services,” introduces three new covered Telehealth Services. These changes were proposed as part of the 2020 Physician Fee Schedule earlier this year and continue CMS’ efforts to reduce administrative burden and cover more virtual care services in the […]
A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation on October 30th designed to expand Medicare beneficiaries’ access to telehealth services. The bill is called the Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies for Health Act of 2019 (hereinafter, the “CONNECT Act” or the “Act”). In order to understand what the Act seeks to accomplish, […]
05 November 2019 Authors: Nathaniel M. LacktmanEmily H. Wein CMS just released the 2020 final rule with changes to remote patient monitoring (RPM), officially titled “Chronic Care Remote Physiologic Monitoring,” reimbursed under the Medicare program, as part of the Physician Fee Schedule changes. The changes, proposed earlier this year, have been hotly-anticipated by digital health […]
The final rule for the 2020 Physician Fee Schedule gives hospitals and health systems more opportunities to use remote patient monitoring and paves the way for new telehealth and mHealth programs. By Eric Wicklund November 05, 2019 – Hospitals and health systems will see Medicare reimbursement for more remote patient monitoring services, according to finalized guidelines […]
What’s the news: A bipartisan Senate bill unveiled last week would make it easier for patients enrolled in Medicare to receive telehealth services from physicians. Digital health that counts The AMA is spearheading initiatives that put physicians at the center of digital health innovation. See how you can get involved. The AMA is joining more […]
(NAPSI)—If you’re enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, or are considering one, you will have more plan choices with a wider range of benefits to help you better manage your day-to-day health needs during this year’s open enrollment period. Medicare’s Annual Enrollment Period, which runs from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, gives Medicare enrollees a […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Thursday finalized the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) for 2020, in addition to its plan to phase out home health pre-payments and introduce a new home infusion therapy benefit. But perhaps the biggest news for U.S. home health providers is a major update to PDGM’s widely opposed […]
This week, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators introduced the long-awaited updated version of the CONNECT for Health Act, a bill that is likely to be the most comprehensive bipartisan telehealth reform package to be introduced in this Congress. Lawmakers will consider the bill amid a surge in telehealth popularity and vocal support for telehealth […]
Health systems across the country are developing telehealth strategies, both in rural and urban populations. Telehealth can refer to virtual visits and other consumer-facing digital interactions, or remote video consultations between two healthcare providers to share expertise. Patients desire telehealth access for a variety of reasons, but in many cases health systems are still trying […]
Telemetry is widely-used by hospitals and health systems as a means of providing continuous cardiac monitoring for designated patients. While internal development of these programs has been the norm, the ongoing management of these internal programs has absorbed significant resources for many hospitals and hospital systems. As a result, health care organizations are increasingly turning […]
Fifteen or 20 years ago, the idea that we all would one day carry around mini-computers through which we could access virtually all of recorded information — and use that same device to watch movies, listen to music or make a phone call — was incomprehensible. Look at us now: Our mobile devices changed everything. […]
Removing geographic barriers and improving rural access are among the goals of CONNECT for Health Act of 2019, which has bipartisan Senate and House support. Support for telehealth is breaking political barriers in the nation’s Capitol. In a bipartisan, bicameral initiative, legislation to expand telehealth services through Medicare was introduced yesterday, led by U.S. Sen. […]
by Chris McCann Oct 23, 2019 Hospital readmissions are an expensive problem in the U.S. both for providers and patients. According to a study by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the average cost of hospital readmission in 2016 was $14,400 per person. In addition to the financial cost, readmissions further strain clinical resources. With an […]