A retrospective review found that a wide variety of urological conditions were seen across video visits – the most common being nephrolithiasis, oncology and andrology. Patients using video visits tended to be younger, would have had to travel longer distances for a clinic appointment and were more likely to be female.
A claims-based analysis suggests that approximately 20 percent of all emergency room visits could potentially be avoided via virtual urgent care offerings, 24 percent of healthcare office visits and outpatient volume could be delivered virtually, and an additional 9 percent “near-virtually.” Furthermore, up to 35 percent of regular home health attendant services could be virtualized, and [...]
Medicare members using telehealth grew 120 times in early weeks of COVID-19 as regulations eased The number of Medicare beneficiaries using telehealth skyrocketed in the early weeks of the pandemic. Almost 1.3 million members received telehealth services in the week ending April 18, compared to just 11,000 in the week ending March 7, according to [...]
A study focused on the use and perceptions of telehealth in rural areas with a focus on Michigan counties, found three major challenges to expanding telehealth options in rural communities including: 1) A lack of funding for program expansion; 2) The need for improved broadband access; and 3) Disparate reimbursement rates for telehealth services from insurance and [...]
In a 2018 proposed rule, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) estimated that telemedicine is saving Medicare patients $60 million in travel time, with a projected estimate of $100 million by 2024, and $170 million by 2029.
A group of physicians and researchers from Kaiser Permanente studied “a novel model of integrating telemedicine seamlessly with patients’ ongoing clinicians, EHRs, and delivery systems.” Their findings showed the feasibility and growing adoption of video visits integrated with ongoing clinical care.
Older adults with complex care needs want to live as independently as they can for as long as they can, and limit stress on family caregivers. Telehealth strategies offer the potential to improve access to care and the quality of care, while reducing strain on family caregivers. For health care systems, home telehealth may help [...]
A trends report analyzing place of service found that telehealth service use increased substantially from 2011 to 2016. For example, telehealth use increased 960% in rural areas, 629% in urban areas and 643% nationally. The results also showed that mental health was the number one telehealth-related diagnostic category and accounted for 31% of telehealth claim line distribution [...]
The most consistent benefit has been reported when telehealth is used for communication and counseling or remote monitoring in chronic conditions such as cardiovascular and respiratory disease, with improvements in outcomes such as mortality, quality of life, and reductions in hospital admissions.
A study demonstrating the feasibility of and cost of replacing in-person case with acute care telehealth services found that the average estimated cost of a telehealth visit is $40 to $50 per visit compared to the average estimated cost of $136 to $176 for in-person acute care. The study estimated savings per commercial telehealth visit of $126. [...]