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
Phoenix Children's Hospital developed a digital dashboard last month that allowed clinicians, administrators and schedulers to transition 6,000 weekly appointments from in-person to telemedicine after stay-at-home orders were issued in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While numerous health insurers and state regulators have eliminated telemedicine copays and deductibles during the pandemic, some patients are claiming they are being charged up front for audio and video-based appointments, according to Kaiser Health News.
From relaxed federal regulations to expanded insurance coverage, the COVID-19 pandemic has driven several changes for clinicians providing telehealth services.
The Trump administration on April 23 released a toolkit that offers resources and guidance to help states expand telehealth coverage policies for Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Programs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With a drop in patient volumes and technical issues arising with telehealth, some healthcare providers are struggling to get paid for virtual visits during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Forty-eight percent of physicians are using telemedicine technology to continue treating patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a recent Merritt Hawkins report.
Congress and CMS have introduced changes to rural health clinic and federally qualified health center requirements and payments to ensure patients have access to services they need during the pandemic.
Amwell has launched a telehealth services platform aimed at smaller physician practices. In a news release, company CEO Roy Schoenberg said the platform focuses on assisting community-based care when physician offices "are closed, or their on-site services are deeply limited."
While CMS has relaxed telehealth regulations to expand care during the COVID-19 pandemic, the action may result in a spike in billing fraud, according to an April 22 Kaiser Health News report.
The Federal Communications Commission approved its second wave of COVID-19 telehealth program applications, funneling $3.7 million to providers including NYU Langone Health and University of Michigan Hospital.