Telehealth
A Colorado Senate committee on June 3 passed a bipartisan bill that aims to uphold patients' ability to receive care via telehealth that was implemented during the COVID-19 public health emergency, according to State of Reform.
Anthem Blue Cross of California is embarking on multiple digital health and telehealth initiatives to ease the access to care for its 1.2 million Medi-Cal members, according to a report from State of Reform.
Once the COVID-19 pandemic ends and states begin lifting emergency orders, temporary payment measures for telehealth reimbursement will likely go away unless financial incentives and permanent state regulations are put in place, according to Bloomberg Law.
The Federal Trade Commission sent a letter May 29 to CMS in support of broad access to telehealth for beneficiaries permanently.
U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., introduced legislation June 1 that would require the HHS secretary to conduct a widespread study on the effectiveness of telehealth before relaxed policies are rescinded, according to Nextgov.
Miramar, Fla.-based telemedicine provider MDLive appointed Cynthia Zelis, MD, as chief medical officer June 3.
While telehealth has been a useful tool to provide care to patients and reduce potential exposure to COVID-19, policymakers must enact ways to ensure barriers such as broadband connectivity and infrastructure do not limit access for vulnerable patient populations, according…
U.S. telehealth claim lines increased 4,347 percent among privately insured individuals from March 2019 to March 2020, according to data released June 2 from FAIR Health.
In response to the pandemic, Phoenix-based Valleywise Health built a telemedicine program from the ground up, facilitating more than 20,000 virtual visits and spurring benefits that will pave the way for future expansion.
The number of CMS beneficiaries has grown from 12,000 weekly telehealth visits to "well into six figures" during the pandemic, and both President Donald Trump and CMS Administrator Seema Verma aim to continue those benefits.