Study: Telehealth Providers are Failing to Follow Up on Diagnostic Tests
A new study posted in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) by researchers from several notable health systems finds that diagnostic loop closures for colonoscopies, cardiac stress tests, and dermatology referrals were worse for patients after virtual visits than for those patients seeing their doctor in-person.
A Roadmap for Cost-Effective Management of Technology Solutions Over the Long Term
Technology investment choices are often challenging because of the lens in which the technology is viewed. Often seen through its end use, the cost of the technology can often overshadow the patient or clinical benefit of the technology. The end-use lens can also cloud how the technology works on a systemic level to improve the patient-family experience and improve patient outcomes.
Vanderbilt Studies Value of Virtual Care for ICU Discharges
The study, funded by the National Institute on Aging, focuses on post-intensive care syndrome (PICS), which can affect as much as 80% of discharged patients and leads to reduced clinical outcomes, poor quality of life, and rehospitalizations.
Military Health System Commits $180M to Telehealth Expansion
Federal officials have selected Amwell and Leidos to create a $180 million hybrid care platform that will replace the Military Health System (MHS) Video Connect program.
Telehealth Primary Care Visits Boost In-Person Follow Up
The study, compiled by clinicians at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, CA, and funded primarily by a grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, sought to discern how well telemedicine addresses patient needs post-COVID public health emergency.
DEA Extending Telemedicine Prescription Waiver Through 2024
The DEA and Health and Human Services Department will publish the extension in the Federal Register this week. The decision comes after two public listening sessions last month and a public comment period on proposed telemedicine rules that garnered more than 38,000 comments, many of them critical.
Hospitals are Looking for Hard ROI in Virtual Nursing
Virtual nursing is all the rage these days, with health systems across the country launching telemedicine-based programs aimed at helping their beleaguered nurses. But with no clear-cut path to ROI, executives are uncertain whether the programs can be sustainable.
Dartmouth Health Uses Telemedicine, Virtual Learning to Help With Difficult Births
Rural hospitals are closing their labor and delivery (L&D) units at alarming rates, forcing more expectant parents to give birth in an ill-prepared emergency room or other location, like the back of an ambulance. At New Hampshire’s Dartmouth Health, officials are combining virtual learning and a hub-and-spoke telemedicine platform to address difficult and emergency births.
Virtual Second Opinions Gain Momentum
Telehealth has already made remarkable strides in several areas, including primary care, radiology, dermatology, ophthalmology, and mental health. Now, Cedars-Sinai is among a fast-growing group of blue-chip providers that are offering virtual second opinions for patients across the nation.
DEA to Again Revise Telemedicine Prescribing Guidelines
A statement issued May 3 by DEA Administrator Anne Milgram says the DEA, coordinating with the Health and Human Services Department, is submitting a draft temporary rule to the Office of Management and Budget for the “Temporary Extension of COVID-19 Telemedicine Flexibilities for Prescription of Controlled Substances.”