Ramona Midkiff

Source:  mHEALTH INTELLIGENCE

Medicaid coverage of telehealth was linked to increases in telehealth use and care access before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, but private insurance coverage was not.

Medicaid coverage of telehealth services between 2013 and 2019 was associated with significant increases in telehealth use and healthcare access, but private insurer coverage of telehealth during the same period was not similarly linked to increases in use and access, a recent study shows.

Published in Health Services Research, the study examined the association between state Medicaid and private insurer telehealth coverage requirements, telehealth use, and healthcare access. Researchers analyzed survey data from the 2013-2019 Association of American Medical Colleges Consumer Survey of Health Care Access. The respondents included 4,492 Medicaid-enrolled and 15,581 privately insured adults under 65.

Researchers conducted separate analyses on Medicaid and private insurer telehealth coverage requirements. The primary outcome was the use of live video communication in the past year, and secondary outcomes included same-day appointments, being able to always get needed care, and having enough options for receiving care.

Click here to continue reading…

Source: mHealth Intelligence

Two US senators have reintroduced a piece of bipartisan legislation to enhance the maternal care process through telehealth and other digital tools.

May 23, 2023 – US Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) have reintroduced bipartisan legislation known as the Tech to Save Moms Act, which aims to leverage telehealth and digital health technology to promote maternal care outcomes.

The disparities common in healthcare are amplified among US patients seeking maternal care, making the US maternal death rate far higher than that of other comparably resourced countries. These are often racial and ethnicity-based healthcare disparities.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the maternal mortality rate for non-Hispanic Black women in the US was 69.9 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2021. This rate was 2.6 times greater than that of non-Hispanic White women.

Click here to continue reading…

Source:  Federal Register

A Rule by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Health and Human Services Department on 05/10/2023

AGENCY:

Drug Enforcement Administration, Department of Justice; Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Department of Health and Human Services.

ACTION:

Temporary rule.

SUMMARY:

On March 1, 2023 the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), in concert with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), promulgated two notices of proposed rulemakings (NPRMs) soliciting comments on proposals to allow for prescribing of controlled medications pursuant to the practice of telemedicine in instances where the prescribing practitioner has never conducted an in-person medical evaluation of the patient. Those NPRMs resulted in 38,369 public comments, which are being closely reviewed. DEA, in concert with HHS, is considering revisions to the proposed rules set forth in the NPRMs. In the meantime, and following initial review of the comments received, DEA, jointly with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is issuing this temporary rule to extend certain exceptions granted to existing DEA regulations in March 2020 as a result of the COVID–19 Public Health Emergency (COVID–19 PHE), in order to avoid lapses in care for patients. Ultimately, there will be a final set of regulations permitting the practice of telemedicine under circumstances that are consistent with public health, safety, and effective controls against diversion.

Click here to continue reading…

Source: NPR

When COVID-19 was declared a public health emergency more than three years ago, it signaled the beginning of huge change for the health care industry.

That was especially true for telehealth.

Under relaxed regulations, patients could more easily connect by phone or Zoom to doctors many miles away, or get prescriptions from a specialist to treat conditions like ADHD or opioid use disorder.

The federal declaration — and the pandemic policies tied to it — officially ends on Thursday, but patients may not see any big changes in the care they receive via telehealth, at least not yet.

Federal policymakers are allowing these more expansive telehealth services to remain in place temporarily, thanks in part to a last-minute about-face by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Click here to continue reading…

Source: Fierce Pharma

Telehealth use skyrocketed early in the COVID-19 pandemic, accounting for a significant share of all doctors’ appointments at its peak. And while virtual visits have since dipped in volume, telehealth still supports millions of appointments each year. But will the trend continue?

Data from a Phreesia survey completed by nearly 2,000 patients suggests that it will. In 2022, 36% of patients who checked in for a doctor’s appointment on Phreesia’s platform reported having had a virtual healthcare visit in the past six months. Satisfaction was high, with 71% of those recent telehealth users saying they were very or extremely satisfied with virtual visits as a care option.

Click here to continue reading…

Source: SCETV

Michaela Moss sits at her kitchen table. It is 10 p.m. at night. Beside her is Erica Kinloch, a healthcare technician for the Board of Disabilities and Special Needs. They talk on the phone with a telehealth facilitator for Station MD a telehealth service that the BDSN uses for their residents. After detailing an accident Michaela had, the facilitator can connect them to an ER doctor. In an entire process that takes 30 minutes, Michaela can connect to a doctor who can treat her through the tablet and peripherals Erica has brought with her.

Click here to continue reading…

Source: SCETV
How will health systems evolve in order to continue offering telehealth in the future? Listen as two telehealth experts discuss the delicate balance of providing in-person and virtual care.

Click here to continue reading and watch video…

Dr. Ariel Santos (on the screen) director of the telemedicine program at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, does a skin cancer screening on a patient

Source: VOA

WASHINGTON — 

During the coronavirus pandemic, telemedicine became a virtual phenomenon. As people remained in their homes during the pandemic, they began chatting with their doctors over the phone or video platforms on subjects such as chronic disease management, ongoing medical support, mental health issues and specialty care.

To reach their patients, many health professionals had to figure out quickly how to set up their first online systems for telemedicine, also known as telehealth.

“Doctors hadn’t provided it as an option previously because the infrastructure and technology wasn’t widely available,” said Dr. Shira Fischer, a physician policy researcher at the RAND Corp., which has conducted surveys asking Americans whether they use telehealth.

Fisher noted that in a February 2019 survey, less than 4% of the respondents said they used video telehealth. But two years later during the pandemic, that number had skyrocketed to 45%.

“I think telehealth is great,” said Michael Wu, a restaurant manager who lives in Alexandria, Virginia. “When I have a cold or the flu, I don’t have to take time off work to go to the doctor’s office for an exam, and maybe to get medication. It’s easier for me to have a video appointment with my doctor using my cellphone.”

Here to stay

Many health professionals think telemedicine is here to stay.

Click here to continue reading…