Virtual care news, trends and reimbursement updates
Telehealth news covering program growth, utilization and payment. Becker's tracks telehealth reimbursement policy at the federal and state level and how virtual care fits into health system strategy.
Telehealth
The year 2020 has seen a sharp rise in telehealth services stemming, in part, from cancelled or deferred elective procedures, office visits, and outpatient tests due to COVID-19.
In collaboration with CipherHealth
Seattle-based UW Medicine rolled out a new on-demand virtual care program that lets patients receive medical care via text message consults with physicians, according to a Dec. 9 news release.
Englewood (N.J.) Health became the first health system to participate in a new virtual training program for clinicians using professional actors to simulate real patient encounters in which they have to deliver negative news over video chat.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, U.S. providers have transitioned one-third or more of their in-person care to telemedicine, signaling a shift in the patient experience and consumer expectations for convenience of care, according to Jessica Dudley, MD, and Iyue Sung.
The Federal Communications Commission awarded $9.2 billion Dec. 7 to fund the development of high-speed broadband networks for more than 10 million rural Americans across the country.
Stony Brook (N.Y.) Medicine will use a $966,026 award from the FCC's COVID-19 Telehealth Program to provide digital devices and remote monitoring equipment to individuals in need to participate in virtual care visits.
The Massachusetts Association of Health Plans is sponsoring an 18-month study to examine how access to telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic has varied based on race, ethnicity and socioeconomic factors, according to a Dec. 2 news release.
HHS will continue to allow clinicians to provide telehealth services across state lines for covered services, including diagnostic tests, to fight the spread of COVID-19.
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of telehealth at many U.S. hospitals and prompted temporary federal regulatory changes that allowed organizations greater flexibility in this area.
In collaboration with Teladoc
New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell Health is partnering with virtual care and communication platform Conversa Health to launch a COVID-19 screening tool for employers and schools across the state, according to a Dec. 3 news release.