CMS’s Medicare Advantage preview from September revealed that 738 plans are offering supplemental benefits under the “primarily health-related” pathway in 2021, a 46% increase compared to the nearly 500 plans that did so in 2020. The preview similarly showed that 920 plans are offering benefits under the Special Supplemental Benefits for the Chronically Ill (SSBCI) […]
Telehealth visits did account for 35 percent of all primary care encounters in Q2 2020, but it wasn’t enough to fill the primary care void at the height of COVID-19 Rajiv Leventhal Oct 12th, 2020 In response to the pandemic and shelter-in-place orders earlier this year, providers aggressively turned to telehealth for care delivery, when […]
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, technology has become a necessary part of people’s everyday life—apps can be used to get groceries, communicate with family, or even become a doctor’s office. For those of us living in the Denison bubble, we are confined to what the university is able to offer us, including access […]
While telehealth use has increased in response to COVID-19 as well as patient satisfaction with the service, barriers still exist for patients trying to access it, including those at high risk, according to Troy-based J.D. Power. The J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Telehealth Satisfaction Study was released Oct. 1. “The COVID-19 pandemic has been a moment […]
Governor Gavin Newsom has signed legislation allowing local EMS providers to develop community paramedicine programs, which often use telehealth tools to screen 911 calls and improve care coordination at home. By Eric Wicklund October 12, 2020 – California is now allowing local EMS providers to develop community paramedicine programs, which could use telehealth or mHealth tools to triage […]
Distance Learning and Telemedicine Investments will Benefit More Than 12 Million Rural Residents WASHINGTON, Oct. 7, 2020 – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $72 million in grants to help rural residents gain access to health care and educational opportunities. These investments will benefit more than 12 […]
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has announced that the USDA will distribute a combined $72 million in grants to help rural citizens access educational opportunities and telehealth care. The grants are expected to benefit over 12 million rural residents nationwide. “Increasing access to telemedicine and distance learning is critical to building […]
In the midst of the novel coronavirus pandemic, statistics are demonstrating that telemedicine services offer the potential to improve access to quality care while reducing strain on patients, family caregivers, nurses and physicians. A 2019 study from the American Telemedicine Association demonstrated that the quality of health care services delivered via telemedicine are as good […]
Telehealth EHR integration has a number of critical benefits for both providers and patients. By Christopher Jason October 09, 2020 – Telehealth is increasingly becoming an option for remote patient care. But with clinician burden — most of which is caused by excessive health IT use — quickly mounting, clinical experts are looking for ways to streamline telehealth […]
— Reports of quality improvement at hospitals across the country by Nicole Lou, Staff Writer, MedPage Today October 9, 2020 Standardized processes and patient education were key to faster, better care for people with heart disease or suspected heart disease. These and other lessons were emphasized in quality improvement initiatives shared at this year’s virtual ACC Quality Summit hosted […]
Even after the pandemic, patients will be unwilling to return to the less-streamlined status quo, says Clive Smith. By Kat Jercich October 09, 2020 01:29 PM As the COVID-19 crisis began sweeping through the country this spring, hospitals sought a way for clinicians to treat infectious patients while maintaining distance from them if possible. In that […]
The eHealth Initiative has released a list of policy recommendations designed to improve telehealth adoption and coverage during and after the coronavirus pandemic. By Eric Wicklund October 09, 2020 – The eHealth Initiative has unveiled recommendations for federal policy changes to help expand telehealth access and coverage during and beyond the coronavirus pandemic. The 22-page report comes roughly a […]
Bipartisan letter to CMS seeks to ensure coverage for the full range of essential hearing, speech, and language services Today, Rep. Cindy Axne (IA-03) and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01) led a letter with 32 other colleagues to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma, urging her to expand Medicare telehealth coverage of valuable audiology and speech-language pathology during […]
Covid-19 has catapulted medicine into a new, virtual world. Although telemedicine has been around for years, it’s quickly transitioned in the last 6 months from a “nice-to-have” for medical practices, to a real necessity. Today, physicians rely on telemedicine to see their patients, as well as diagnose and treat minor and chronic conditions. But what […]
Before Covid-19, pursuing Federal broadband grant funds was orderly and straightforward. Some grants paid for broadband infrastructure that was restricted to school premises. Federal grants funded healthcare-related broadband in public hospitals and clinics. Other agency programs funded broadband in city and county offices, libraries, and public facilities. A couple of smaller agencies funded residential and […]