Connected Care Updates – January 9
This update includes: Krista Drobac's op-ed in The Hill Telehealth priorities CMS and Telehealth and notable research and news developments
Mental Health Service Utilization Rates Among Commercially Insured Adults in the US During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic
JAMA Health Forum: Mental Health Service Utilization Rates Among Commercially Insured Adults in the US During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic This study found that the weekly rate of in-person mental health service utilization decreased by more than 50 percent after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic but concurrent increases in [...]
Alliance for Connected Care Executive Director Featured in The Hill
Krista Drobac, executive director of the Alliance for Connected Care, was featured in The Hill. See below for an excerpt: Clock is still ticking on virtual mental health prescribing Congress acted last month to extend important telehealth flexibilities that will ensure millions of Americans and their providers will continue to [...]
Telerehabilitation Has Potential, But More Research, Funding, And Advocacy Are Needed
Health Affairs: Telerehabilitation Has Potential, But More Research, Funding, And Advocacy Are Needed Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, CMS did not provide reimbursement for telehealth services for physical therapists. However, this reimbursement restriction was temporarily waived during the public health emergency related to the pandemic. The expanded Telehealth Access Act of 2021 (HR2168/S3193), [...]
Connected Care Updates – January 4
This update includes: Alliance for Connected Care End-of-Year Message Pending Omnibus HHS Proposed Rule Letters to Governors and notable research and news developments
Sociodemographic Correlates of Affordable Community Behavioral Health Treatment Facility Availability in Florida: A Cross-Sectional Study
Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research: Sociodemographic Correlates of Affordable Community Behavioral Health Treatment Facility Availability in Florida: A Cross-Sectional Study This study assessed neighborhood-level sociodemographic attributes to characterize the availability of behavioral health treatment facilities in Florida. The study found that areas with greater proportion of non-Latino Black and Latino residents [...]
Top Accomplishments 2022
Building off of the transformation of telehealth access since 2020, the Alliance has continued to drive the advocacy steps needed for permanent telehealth expansion. We are excited to successfully hold on to important expansions and continue progress in 2023. Alliance Top Accomplishments 1 A temporary two-year extension of all Medicare telehealth in the fiscal [...]
Environmental Impact of Ambulatory Telehealth Use by a Statewide University Health System During COVID-19
Journal of Telemedicine and eHealth: Environmental Impact of Ambulatory Telehealth Use by a Statewide University Health System During COVID-19 A study by UC Davis Health researchers assessed telehealth visits’ carbon footprint and their potential savings in lives, costs and time compared to in-person visits. The study found substantial savings for patients and the environment, [...]
The Health Plan Environment in California Contributed to Differential Use of Telehealth During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Health Affairs: The Health Plan Environment in California Contributed to Differential Use of Telehealth During the COVID-19 Pandemic Differential patient and provider access to technology and resources has raised concerns that existing health disparities may be extenuated by shifts to virtual care. This study examines the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, to examine [...]