In this update, the Alliance for Connected Care welcomed three new advisory board members. Notable actions from Congress: Senate Finance released their second draft section of the mental health package, which includes a Medicaid interstate licensure provision; Mental health provisions discussed in the gun safety proposal; and more.
mHealth Intelligence: Patient Characteristics Strongly Tied to Telehealth Use A study published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine (JABFM) found that, unlike provider characteristics, patient characteristics play a significant role in determining telehealth usage. The study consisted of 37,428 patients representing a total of 106,567 encounters, along with 42 providers. The [...]
Second Opinion: Virtual Care Needs to be Integrated for Patient Needs A study from Omada Health, a digital health company that works across diabetes, hypertension, and more, found that the average patient had 28 percent of their services received via virtual first care. Virtual care should be integrated with in-person care based on the patient’s [...]
Epic Research: Insurance Type is the Top Predictor of Telehealth Use as Adoption Levels Off Long-Term A recent study found that telehealth use remains higher than pre-pandemic levels for all insurers, suggesting continued insurance coverage for telehealth services is important for ongoing health care access. The study also found that rates of outpatient telehealth use [...]
The Lancet: Mobile Health School Screening and Telemedicine Referral to Improve Access To Specialty Care In Rural Alaska: A Cluster- Randomized Controlled Trial A study by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences found that referring children to specialists via telemedicine provides significantly quicker access to follow-up care than referring them to primary care providers. [...]
Medscape: First Year of Pandemic Showed Telemedicine Benefited Less Urban Patients According to a study published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, telemedicine was a more viable option for patients living in health professional shortage areas (HPSA) and those belonging to other underserved communities. Although White patients were 61 percent more likely to use telemedicine [...]
United Press International: Patients with Advanced Cancer May Benefit from Telemedicine A large percentage of cancer patients don’t always report negative symptoms to their providers. However, a recent study found that digital health services had a high level of engagement from older cancer patients. The study’s monitoring program showed a 33 percent improvement in physical function for [...]
FAIR Health: The Evolution of Telehealth during the COVID-19 Pandemic According to FAIR Health’s data brief, mental health conditions consistently appeared among the top telehealth diagnoses across the country during the COVID-19 pandemic. The report found a 4,347 percent increase in national telehealth claim lines between March 2019 and March 2020. Researchers also observed that [...]
National Telehealth Technology and Assessment Center: 2022 TTAC National Telehealth Technology Survey The National Telehealth Technology Assessment Center (TTAC) released its 2022 Survey on telehealth technology used by organizations and individuals. The survey was funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Office for the Advancement of Telehealth (OAT). The survey found an increased emphasis on solutions [...]