Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery: Disparities in Telemedicine Literacy and Access in the United States According to a study published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, demographic factors at the county level are associated with low telemedicine literacy. The researchers found that age, sex, race, employment status, income level, marital status, educational attainment, and urban or rural classification [...]
CDC: Percentage of Adults Who Used Telemedicine in Past 12 Months The CDC released data on the percentage of adults who used telemedicine by sex and health insurance coverage. Overall, in 2021, 35.3 percent of adults aged 18–64 years had a telemedicine visit with a health care professional in the past 12 months. The percentage [...]
Spine Journal: Utilization and Satisfaction Remain High Even After Easing of COVID-19 Lockdown Restrictions This study aimed to define telemedicine utilization rates during and after the initial height of the COVID-19 lockdown period and to determine patient satisfaction with telemedicine during and after the initial height of the COVID-19 lockdown period for spine patients [...]
Annuals of Medicine: Adaptation of the Tele-Harm Reduction Intervention to Promote Initiation and Retention in Buprenorphine Treatment Among People Who Inject Drugs The Tele-Harm Reduction (THR) intervention is a multicomponent, telehealth-based and peer-driven intervention to promote HIV viral suppression among people who inject drugs (PWID) accessing a syringe services program (SSP). This study examined buprenorphine initiation [...]
Key Care: Consumers Prefer Telehealth to In-Person Visits While Traveling A survey sponsored by KeyCare found that nearly seven in 10 (68 percent) of consumers who needed minor but urgent medical services while traveling in the prior year received care via telehealth visits with their regular physicians or affiliated members of their physicians' [...]
In February 2023, the majority of the MACs, led by Novitas Solutions, met in a Multi-Jurisdictional Contractor Advisory Committee (CAC) to jointly consider a new local coverage determination (LCD) for RPM and RTM for Non-Implantable Devices. Neither of these services have a National Coverage Decision (NCD) by CMS but CMS has included these services in [...]
This update includes: Alliance for Connected Care letter for MAC Meeting DEA NPRM for Telemedicine Prescribing of Controlled Substances HRSA Request to Extend Telehealth Outcome Measures Introduced Telehealth Legislation and notable research and news developments
Telemedicine prescribing of controlled substances when the practitioner and the patient have not had a prior in-person medical evaluation (RIN: 1117-AB40)Drug Enforcement Administration Notice of Proposed RulemakingPublic comments due March 31, 2023DEA Resources: Rule Text Highlights for Medical PractitionersDEA Summary ChartSee companion buprenorphine rule summary hereProposed Rule OverviewThe Ryan Haight Act of 2008 directed the [...]
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) released its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on buprenorphine via telemedicine encounter, a summary, and highlights for medical practitioners. The proposed rule amends the DEA’s regulations, in concert with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), on the circumstances under which individual practitioners are authorized to prescribe schedule [...]
The Alliance for Connected Care and the American Telemedicine Association sent a letter expressing disappointment in the process for evaluating Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) and Remote Therapeutic Monitoring (RTM). The letter states that the time allotted to subject matter experts is not adequate and expresses concern about the bibliography provided to meeting participants last week, which is missing at least 45 studies by [...]