For years, telemedicine has been touted as a way to address mental health provider shortages in Greater Minnesota or as an option that could help stave off the looming mass retirement of the state’s aging psychologist workforce. But, despite the promise offered by technology, most mental health providers in Minnesota avoided making the move to telemedicine, instead preferring to see their patients face-to-face.

Then COVID-19 hit Minnesota and everything changed. Within weeks of Gov. Tim Walz’s statewide stay-at-home order, mental health providers across the state were forced to embrace telemedicine: Sticking with the old…

From managing cybersecurity imperatives with at-home patients as a new X factor, to surfing the data tsunami of remote patient monitoring, experts from NIST, FCC, Mount Sinai, Yale, Leapfrog and others offer insights on demand.

By Mike Miliard September 28, 2020 11:53 AM

Telehealth has been around for a long time, but only recently has it gained the critical mass that most have long expected. “It’s the overnight success story that was 30 years in the making,” said Atrium…

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) constitutes a major pillar of secondary prevention measures in cardiac patients, in particular for those with coronary artery disease and heart failure, but also for patients with other cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), such as valvular heart disease, heart transplantation, congenital heart disease, or patients with an extensive cardiovascular risk profile.¹ Hospital- or centre-based, multidisciplinary CR programs are the gold standard for delivery of optimal post-interventional care and implementation of secondary prevention goals in cardiac patients. The current COVID-19 pandemic however has all of a sudden prevented almost all patients in need of CR services in…

The American Telemedicine Association’s comments focused on expanding telehealth access, changes to remote monitoring services, and the provision of telehealth in federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics.

By Kat Jercich September 25, 2020 02:02 PM

The American Telemedicine Association was among several groups this week that submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regarding the 2021 Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule.

The comments focused…

By implementing certain home healthcare and remote patient monitoring strategies, payers can boost their value-based care delivery.

By Kelsey Waddill

September 25, 2020 – Home healthcare and remote monitoring are increasingly critical to providing value-based care, improving quality while keeping costs low.

Experts have discovered that, in some cases, remote patient monitoring can provide superior quality of data when compared to wearables. In one study, a remote patient monitoring tool allowed providers to more accurately predict 30-day hospital readmissions.

Additionally, receiving certain forms of care at home instead…

Over 94% of Medicare Advantage plans will offer additional telehealth benefits, up from about 58% of plans offering telehealth benefits in 2020. 

Susan Morse, Managing Editor

More Medicare Advantage plans in 2021 will offer telehealth benefits.

Average 2021 premiums for Medicare Advantage plans are expected to decline 34.2% from 2017 while plan choice, benefits, and enrollment continue to increase, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said ahead of the annual Medicare Open Enrollment starting on October 15.

This will make the Medicare Advantage average…

September 26, 2020John Danaher

The coronavirus pandemic has shed light on major imbalances within the healthcare system, specifically, the supply and demand of allied health professionals, and the urgent need to invest in community-based care that prioritizes vulnerable populations.

The coronavirus pandemic has shed light on major imbalances within the healthcare system, specifically, the supply and demand of allied health professionals, and the urgent need to invest in community-based care that prioritizes vulnerable populations.

As we think ahead to a post-COVID-19 world, now is a crucial time…

Among Medicare Advantage plans, 53 will be covering hospice and palliative care in 2021 through the value-based insurance design (VBID) model, according to the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Medicare Advantage is seeing record-high levels of participation for 2021 among beneficiaries, reaching about 42% for 2021, CMS reported.

Starting in 2021, payers and hospice providers will have the option to participate in a demonstration project testing the inclusion of hospice in VBID. The demonstration is often referred to as the Medicare Advantage hospice carve-in.

The carve-in will begin…

The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) issued a policy comment letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), advocating for telehealth-friendly changes to Medicare’s telehealth coverage and reimbursement rules. The ATA’s letter also made recommendations on CMS’ proposed interpretations on remote patient monitoring (RPM) requirements. The letter was submitted in response to CMS’ 2021 Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule.

The ATA letter notes: “The ATA appreciates CMS’s efforts to expand access to telehealth. With Congressional authority, CMS has led the way in expanding access to remote care during the COVID-19 public health emergency. With this proposed…

Jackie Drees – Friday, September 25th, 2020

The American Heart Association and American Cancer Society and 15 other patient organizations on Sept. 24 released a set of principles for legislators to consider for telehealth implementations.

The principles are meant to guide regulations for telehealth during and after the COVID-19 public health emergency. Here are the group’s six recommendations:  

1. Cover telehealth services under all health plans, including Medicare, Medicaid and other federal and state regulated commercial health plans.

2. Improve access to telehealth technologies for…

A bill filed this week would expand the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program to include telehealth services, thus improving access to care for millions of people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

By Eric Wicklund

September 25, 2020 – A group of Senators has introduced a bill that would expand access to the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program through telehealth.

S 4709 was introduced this week by Senators Tim Scott (R-SC), Mark warner (D-VA), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Tina Smith (D-MN). Titled the Prevent Diabetes…

By Robert Holly | September 24, 2020

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Wednesday released $165 million in supplemental funding for Money Follows the Person (MFP) programs, which encourage transitions from long-term care facilities to home- and community-based settings. 

In the grand scheme of government health care spending, $165 million is only a drop in the bucket. In fact, the new funding will only divert $5 million to each eligible state’s Medicaid program for MFP — helpful, but hardly game-changing.

The arguably most exciting part of Wednesday’s…

The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) issued a policy comment letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), advocating for telehealth-friendly changes to Medicare’s telehealth coverage and reimbursement rules. The ATA’s letter also made recommendations on CMS’ proposed interpretations on remote patient monitoring (RPM) requirements. The letter was submitted in response to CMS’ 2021 Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule. 

The ATA letter notes: “The ATA appreciates CMS’s efforts to expand access to telehealth. With Congressional authority, CMS has led the way in expanding access to remote care during the COVID-19 public health emergency. With this proposed…

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) took a new step on Wednesday to support care transitions from long-term care facilities into home- and community-based settings.

On Wednesday, CMS announced the availability of up to $165 million in supplemental funding to states currently operating Money Follows the Person (MFP) demonstration programs. MFP programs allow certain Medicaid users, including older adults, to more seamlessly transition from a nursing home or institution back into the home, only if they desire to do so.

“The tragic devastation wrought by the Coronavirus on…

By Jackie Drees 

If telehealth is going to provide value to the healthcare system, it must address issues such as health equity and disparities in healthcare while delivering safe and high-quality care, according to Shantanu Agrawal, MD, and Tejal Gandhi, MD.

For a Sept. 23 viewpoint article published in Health Affairs, Dr. Agrawal, president and CEO of the National Quality Forum, and Dr. Gandhi, chief clinical safety officer at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, shared five challenges telehealth must tackle if it is to be permanently expanded in…