(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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
California Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed several telehealth bills, making the state among a dozen to support payment parity, store-and-forward care and telemedicine abortions. By Eric Wicklund October 21, 2019 – A slew of telehealth bills signed this month by Governor Gavin Newsom positions California at the forefront of the connected health movement – including making the state […]
On October 11, 2019, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a new law requiring commercial health insurance coverage and payment parity for telehealth services. The law will benefit patients by increasing access and availability to healthcare services, and catalyze the growth of telehealth technologies throughout California. California is representative of a growing national trend of states across the […]
Simplifying the Management of Complex Care Patients It’s complicated… Having a chronic illness is tough. Having multiple chronic conditions is even tougher. Add financial, emotional, mobility or behavioral factors, and it can seem insurmountable. People who struggle with multiple ongoing health challenges (like diabetes, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorders, etc.) have complex needs […]
A cancer diagnosis changes everything. First, you receive this earth-shattering news and then, you enter the maze of cancer care, with countless visits to specialists and other health care providers to discuss which treatment options are appropriate for you. Fortunately, there are options, thanks to scientific research and clinical trials. But no matter where you […]
Over the last decade, few issues in politics have been more polarizing than healthcare. It’s driven a deep wedge between Democrats and Republicans, particularly following the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the subsequent efforts to repeal it, and has caused rifts within those parties. Yet despite all the animosity, there is one […]
As the federal government, via Medicare/Medicaid, and insurance companies strive to keep “heads out of beds” (e.g., patients managed into an outpatient setting [your doctor’s office] vs. inpatient/hospital settings), the need for more clinicians and better access to care grows unabated. In an effort to manage both increased demand (e.g., access) by patients and patients […]
The American Medical Association (AMA) released updates to its Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes for 2020, including new codes to keep doctors up-to-date with new technology. The AMA released 394 code changes, including 248 new codes, 71 deletions and 75 revisions. The changes, which will take effect on January 1, 2020, reflect new tech-enabled patient services. […]
By Meeta Ramnani – August 23, 201943 Installing Remote Patient Monitoring comes with many challenges, but due to the benefits it provides, it will find massive usage across the globe in the coming years Clinicians also use RPM to track medical and health-related information from their patients, to monitor and treat chronic illnesses like cardiovascular disease, […]