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 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is transitioning to its new 988 call number in July, but there are concerns that funding might not meet the expected increased demand, according to a March 13 article from The New York Times.
Congress passed the omnibus spending bill that expanded coverage of telehealth services, but experts fear that the bill failed to detail which telehealth services would be covered by insurers, FastCompany reported March 12.
Integrating with Cerner's EHR to collect patient information from virtual visits, Microsoft's new features in Teams aim to provide a simpler and convenient experience for patients and providers for telehealth workflows.
Researchers at Utah State University are using Zoom therapy sessions to study the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy for adolescents suffering from health anxiety.
The World Health Organization has reccomended the use of telemedicine for abortion pill prescriptions.
Telepsychiatry app Cerebral has grown explosively during the pandemic, but 27 former employees said the company could be fueling a new addiction crisis, according to a March 11 Bloomberg report.
As the healthcare industry strives to provide higher quality care at a lower cost, early intervention to direct patients to the most appropriate level of care settings is essential.
In collaboration with Amwell
Congress is set to grant a five-month extension to telehealth flexibilities, created during the pandemic, as part of the 2022 omnibus spending bill made public March 9.
Seventy-two organizations submitted a letter to the Drug Enforcement Administration asking to remove the requirement that patients be evaluated in-person before being prescribed controlled substances via telemedicine.
Baptist Hospital of Miami and South Miami, Fla.-based Larkin Health System entered into an agreement to provide telehealth services to fire departments to eliminate an influx of patients in emergency rooms, Miami Today reported March 1.