All posts by THS-admin

s telehealth here to stay?

I have been asked this question many times over the years but recently it seems to pop up a lot more. The answer is “of course”, but what you saw 5 years ago, 1 year ago, or yesterday may not be the form it will take in the future.
Telehealth has been used for over 60 years. Dating back to the 1960s when Nebraska Psychiatric Institute had a program and Massachusetts General Hospital performed video consults at Logan airport. I am not sure who can be given credit for first using telehealth but it certainly is everywhere now. The US may have more implementations than other countries, but I have seen some very impressive uses of remote monitoring and COVID19 management in the UK and Pakistan.
So – asking whether telehealth is here to stay is almost like asking is healthcare here to stay.
Yes – next question.

Doctors Struggle to Get Paid for Telehealth Visits

Telehealth reimbursement during the COVID-19 pandemic has increased rapidly compared with its previously slow uptake, but providers say they’re not being paid to the extent they are being promised — or anywhere close to the amounts they made with in-person visits. That’s partially due to a lack of clear information and inconsistent policies across the country’s patchwork of insurance plans.

MedPage Today

Katko urges Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to expand telehealth access for seniors

U.S. Rep. John Katko (R-NY) recently made a bipartisan request that America’s senior citizens have expanded access to Medicare-covered telehealth services.

“Currently, Medicare only reimburses recipients for services conducted with audio and video equipment, excluding coverage of mental healthcare services provided over the phone,” Rep. Katko said on April 9. “With telehealth services being the only way millions of Americans have access to mental health services during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative that CMS [Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services] immediately acts to expand coverage to audio-only telehealth services, ensuring all Medicare recipients have access to mental healthcare.”

The RiponAdvance