This update includes: A Sign-On Letter Urging Senate Action on Telehealth Legislation This Fall Alliance Statement on Two Telehealth Reports from OIG Former US Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin Op-Ed on State Licensure Alliance Physician Fee Schedule Comments and notable research and news developments
Pediatric Cardiology: Initial Experience with Telemedicine for Interstage Monitoring in Infants with Palliated Congenital Heart Disease Infants with staged surgical palliation for congenital heart disease are at high-risk for interstage morbidity and mortality. Home monitoring programs have mitigated these risks. This study examines caregivers and clinicians of the Infant Single Ventricle Monitoring Program (ISVMP). All consecutive [...]
American Journal of Preventive Medicine: Before and During Pandemic Telemedicine Use: An Analysis of Rural and Urban Safety-Net Clinics Research found that rural residents had lower telehealth engagement rates during the COVID-19 pandemic than their urban counterparts, showing the need for geographic targeting and the provision of additional resources. This study aimed to [...]
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation: Flexibilities in Controlled Substances Prescribing and Dispensing During the COVID-19 Pandemic The HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) released a report on flexibilities in controlled substances prescribing, including via telehealth, during the pandemic. The federal government issued a range of flexibilities [...]
Health Affairs: Rapid Growth Of Remote Patient Monitoring Is Driven By A Small Number Of Primary Care Providers According to a Health Affairs study, a small number of primary care providers have been responsible for most of the recent growth in remote patient monitoring. The study found that remote patient monitoring grew four-fold during [...]
September 7, 2022, Washington, D.C. - The only way to truly understand the impact of covering telehealth in Medicare on fraud is the analysis of real data. The HHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) continues to do just that, and we applaud their efforts. These reports add to the growing body of [...]
HHS OIG: Certain Medicare Beneficiaries, Such as Urban and Hispanic Beneficiaries, Were More Likely Than Others To Use Telehealth During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a report which Expands on the telehealth utilization report released earlier this year; and [...]
OIG Report: Medicare Telehealth Services During the First Year of the Pandemic: Program Integrity Risks The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General released a report which describes Providers’ billing for telehealth services; and Identifies ways to safeguard Medicare from fraud, waste, and abuse related to telehealth. The full report can [...]
Health Affairs: Telemedicine Platforms Need to be Designed with the Visually Impaired and Others With Disabilities in Mind Visual impairment (VI) ranks among the top 10 leading causes of disability amongst US adults. The impacts of VI are not just exclusive to vision but also affect mental, oral, and physical health. Currently, telemedicine [...]
The Alliance for Connected Care submitted comments on the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) Proposed Rule for calendar year (CY) 2023, which includes several important reforms with respect to telehealth. The Alliance emphasized the following overarching priorities: While we appreciate and support the effort from CMS to create more temporary Category 3 codes [...]