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 [...]
This update includes: A Sign-On Letter Urging Senate Action on Telehealth Legislation This Fall Alliance comment letter on Medicare Advantage Joint study by CMS, CDC, and NIH on Telehealth for Opioid Use Disorder Services During COVID-19 Pandemic and notable research and news developments
Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Impact of a High-Risk, Ambulatory COVID-19 Remote Patient Monitoring Program on Utilization, Cost, and Mortality The Mayo Clinic conducted a retrospective analysis that included patients diagnosed with COVID-19 at risk for severe disease who enrolled in the health system’s remote patient monitoring (RPM) program between March 2020 - October 2021. [...]
JAMA Network Open: Assessment of Clinician Diagnostic Concordance with Video Telemedicine in the Integrated Multispecialty Practice at Mayo Clinic During the Beginning of COVID-19 Pandemic From March to June 2020 Researchers from Mayo Clinic conducted a study examining how concordant to an in-person diagnosis provisional diagnoses established at a video telemedicine visit are [...]
J Endocrinol Invest: A telemedicine-based approach with real-time transmission of blood glucose data improves metabolic control in insulin-treated diabetes: the DIAMONDS randomized clinical trial Purpose: To evaluate if a web-based telemedicine system (the Glucoonline® system) is effective to improve glucose control in insulin-treated patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, as compared to standard of care. [...]
The Alliance for Connected Care submitted comments in response to the request for information from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on the Medicare Advantage (MA) program. The Alliance specifically commented on the role that telehealth has played in providing access to care in the MA program and key policy considerations [...]
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services: Increased Use of Telehealth for Opioid Use Disorder Services During COVID-19 Pandemic Associated with Reduced Risk of Overdose CMS, the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health [...]
Center for Connected Health Policy: A Decade of Telehealth Policy The Center for Connected Health Policy released a ten-year anniversary report, which looks back on telehealth policy in the United States. The report captures some highlights, significant changes, and environmental factors that had an impact on telehealth policy development in the nation. The [...]