A new report on telemental health in Health Affairs shows that, among rural Medicare beneficiaries, use of telemedicine for mental health is growing quickly but inconsistently across the population. The piece is meant to provide perspectives for legislatures as they consider increasing Medicare coverage of telemedicine.
Category Archives: TeleHealth
Telehealth is the use of electronic information and telecommunications technologies to support long-distance clinical health care, patient and professional health-related education, public health and health administration
Bipartisan bill seeks to remove roadblocks to telemedicine under Medicare
A group of US Senators introduced a new version of a bipartisan bill today seeking Medicare-covered expansion of telehealth and remote patient monitoring services nationwide. The bill was previously introduced by the six-Senator group, which is headed by Brian Schatz (D-HI), in February.
The business case for investing in virtual care
What if someone told you that if your health system leveraged the right type of virtual care platform you could add 2,000 new patients by offering a virtual care service line?
What if you could ultimately convert a quarter of them into primary and specialty care services patients? What if, over time, this could turn into a revenue bump of $1.5 million annually? This may sound too good to be true, but depending on the size of your healthcare system, it isn’t. It could be a realistic return by adding the right virtual care platform to your health system’s care continuum.
ATA Accredits New Teleheath Training Program
The American Telemedicine Association Training Program Accreditation Committee voted to award accreditation for a Certificate in Telehealth offered by Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA. The Telehealth Facilitator program is offered through the Institute of Emerging Health Professions at the University. The program consists of five learning modules (each designed to be completed in five weeks following the start of each program cohort), and successful completion of all program requirements will earn graduates a certificate and continuing medical education credits for some health professionals.
MDLive faces class action suit over alleged data privacy breach
An Illinois-based law firm has filed a class action lawsuit against telemedicine company MDLive, alleging that the company takes screenshots of sensitive patient health information and sends them to TestFairy, an Israeli company that does quality control on apps, and that this is a violation of patient privacy. MDLive, for its part, denies that there’s anything improper about its procedures.
Garmin’s latest tracker takes aim at stress, “fitness age”
Wearables are at something of a crossroads right now. While companies might have previously differentiated new generations of wearables with new sensors and sleeker designs, now consumers are looking for something more: wearables that don’t just track their life, but help them improve it.
Senate telemedicine bill CHRONIC introduced to expand services to chronic conditions, at-home care
Federal standards for telemedicine reimbursement are becoming more of a reality. The newly reintroduced Senate Bill 870, called Creating High Quality Results and Outcomes Necessary to Improve Chronic Care Act of 2017 (also referred to as CHRONIC), aims to hone in on Medicare payment reform in order to expand telemedicine services for chronic disease management and at-home care coordination.
Why technology isn’t the only component to telehealth success
Healthcare organizations are increasingly looking to adopt telemedicine as a way to provide less expensive care to patients, particularly in a value-based care environment. However, providers may fail to achieve maximum benefits from the technology if they don’t take workflows and human factors into consideration.
Telehealth Licensing Compact Goes Live in 7 Member States
The Interstate Medical Licensure Compact eases the path for telehealth licensing in 18 member states, giving physicians the opportunity to practice telehealth across state lines.
How Telehealth Platforms Will Reshape U.S. Healthcare Delivery
Telehealth in the United States is entering a new phase of accelerating growth. Indicators of this next phase include: FDA approval of remote diagnostic tools; the rapid evolution of telehealth platforms focused on managing chronic conditions as well as achieving specific patient outcomes; the expansion of telehealth services offered by private and government operated healthcare systems (such as the Veterans Administration).