Legislators in Rhode Island passed the Telemedicine Coverage Act, which requires commercial health insurers to cover telemedicine services to the same extent that services are covered via in-person care.
Monthly Archives: July 2016
Telemedicine Is Convenient … But More Importantly It Saves Money
Telemedicine may be here to stay. Not so much because it’s convenient. Or even that patients want it. Its biggest selling point may be that it saves money.
Telehealth technology helping to ease VA Clinic backlog
Appointment wait times have been a big concern for veterans in Colorado for many months, but now the Colorado Springs Veterans Affairs Clinic says technology is helping to decrease their backlog.
Study suggests without feedback loops, home blood pressure monitoring may increase unnecessary ER visits
New data out of Ontario, Canada suggests that blood pressure home monitoring without any kind of feedback loop about the readings, can lead to an unnecessary strain on the healthcare system. In the study, published last week in the Annals of Emergency Medicine, an analysis of more than 200,000 emergency room visits across 180 sites showed a 64 percent increase in emergency room visits for hypertension from 2002 to 2012 — despite a 28 percent decrease in hospitalizations for hypertension over that same time frame.
Telemedicine shows promise in Parkinson’s disease care
Like countless other patients, Ann Johnson, a retired veterinarian, has been willing to travel long distances and devote an entire day to be treated by a specialist at Rush University Medical Center. But a recent appointment lasted less than 30 minutes, and the only travel was to her living room.
Another Massachusetts insurer to cover virtual doctor visits
Having a cold, allergies, rash, or urinary tract infection used to mean a visit to the doctor’s office. Now, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care members can video chat with a doctor instead.
Starting July 1, the state’s second-largest commercial insurer will cover telehealth, offering the video chat service through California-based Doctor On Demand and from doctors in the Harvard Pilgrim network that offer telehealth.
How Telemedicine Is Transforming Health Care
After years of big promises, telemedicine is finally living up to its potential.
Driven by faster internet connections, ubiquitous smartphones and changing insurance standards, more health providers are turning to electronic communications to do their jobs—and it’s upending the delivery of health care.
Telemedicine Effective for the Diagnosis, Treatment of Chronic Headache
Telemedicine is equally as effective as in-person evaluation and treatment of non-acute headache, according to research published in Cephalalgia.
The results are promising for patients who don’t have regular or convenient access to headache specialists.
Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center offers telehealth services to UA student veterans
The transition from military to civilian-life can be very difficult and going to college after serving can be an added stress.
A partnership between the University of Alabama and the Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center is helping with this transition.
Teledentistry, the Latest Health Care Trend
Teledentistry is a growing field in telehealth, providing virtual dental services to individuals around the globe. Launched in 2014 in California, tele dentistry helps bridge the gap of quality dental care and build upon the existing principles of telemedicine.