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
Only 15 percent of patients who were eligible for Medicare fee-for-service telehealth used the service in the second quarter of 2022, according to a Dec. 15 telehealth utilization report from CMS.
Mental health disorders are not isolated — they have far-reaching effects that drive up costs for both patients and providers.
In collaboration with Amwell
Two House members said that congress is trying to expand Medicare's virtual flexibilities beyond the public health emergency, NextGov reported Dec. 14.
Telehealth reduces primary care spending, as telehealth utilization has been associated with lower emergency department utilization and inpatient hospitalizations, according to a Dec. 13 study editorial published in Nature.
Most patients who had a telehealth visit didn't require an in-person follow-up appointment in the next three months, according to a Dec. 13 study from Epic Research.
Only 11 percent of hospitals and 8 percent of practices said they are looking to expand their telehealth offerings in 2023, according to a Dec. 14 telehealth report from national healthcare consultancy firm Sage Growth Partners.
Yale New Haven (Conn.) Health System has partnered with musculoskeletal digital health company IncludeHealth to offer patients virtual physical therapy in their homes.
Telehealth startups offering private, on-demand virtual care have been sharing some of the sensitive information gathered during a patient's intake and checkout process with big tech companies, TheMarkup reported Dec. 13.
UNC Health System's integrative medicine clinic has expanded, allowing patients to conduct their visits either in-person or via telemedicine.
Telehealth company Ro has tapped Gia Lee, former deputy general counsel at HHS, as the company's new legal chief, Bloomberg Law reported Dec. 9.