CMS Proposes to Cut Audio-Only Telehealth Coverage
The proposal imperils a service that had become popular during the pandemic, when health systems shifted in-person care to virtual channels to cut down on hospital traffic and reduce the spread of the virus. Thanks to federal and state waivers tied to the pandemic, healthcare providers were allowed to connect with patients on a telephone or other non-video platform for some healthcare services and be reimbursed for those services.
How to Map Out an Effective and Sustainable Remote Patient Monitoring Program
HealthLeaders recently conducted a round-table with three health system executives to talk about their RPM programs and strategies. This panel featured Carrie Stover, MSN, NP-C, national senior director of virtual care for Ascension; Sarah Pletcher, MD, MHCDS, system vice president and executive medical director for strategic innovation at Houston Methodist; and Kathryn King, MD, MHS, associate executive medical director at the Center for Telehealth at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC).
CMS Strengthens Guidance on EMTALA and Emergency Abortions
The reminder comes more than two weeks after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision legalizing abortion nationwide. The memo also includes a note that hospitals and physicians may face civil financial penalty for denying patients emergency care.
Extensive Patient Candidate Evaluation Key Element of New Long COVID Clinic
AdventHealth opened the health system’s Post-COVID Clinic in March. Determining whether patients have long COVID and characterizing their symptomology requires an exhaustive evaluation process, says Dwayne Gordon, MD, an AdventHealth Medical Group internal medicine physician and lead physician of the Post-COVID Clinic, which is based at AdventHealth Orlando.
Better Quality Through Better Scheduling
A recent report from KLAS called “Patient Perspectives on Patient Engagement Technology 2022” talks about patient, provider, and vendor alignment on patient engagement technology and which of these technologies are most desirable for the patient. Rising to the top of that list are tools that help patients schedule, register for, or check in to an appointment; refill prescriptions; communicate with a physician’s office before a visit; and find a doctor.
What Makes a Healthcare Organization ‘Future Ready’?
How are organizations preparing for the future, and is the industry ready to leverage its technology, skill, and leadership for what lies ahead? We discussed this with James Domine, chief technology for Avail Medsystems, which provides solutions to connect procedural healthcare professionals regardless of their location through audio, video, and other software.
Shared Decision-Making Comes Into Its Own
Providers, payers, and pharmaceutical manufacturers consequently must consider and incorporate shared decision-making opportunities and mechanisms when developing therapeutic pathways, differentiated treatment options, and reimbursement strategies.
Monkeypox: CDC Updates Guidance for Medical Waste Handling
The CDC has updated its guidance on infection control of monkeypox for healthcare settings, reminding providers that any case suspected of being of the more deadly Congo Basin clade requires more extensive precautions, including the handling of hazardous medical waste.
Electronic Peer-to-Peer Consulting to Combat Long Wait Times
The issues of access and available trained personnel are more complex in a world that has gone through a pandemic. “We’re seeing practitioners who are truly burned out,” says Chi. “COVID really drove everyone to the mat. It caused a large transition in specialty and PCP levels—people who were thinking about retiring are saying, ‘I’m done.’ ”
PSQH: The Podcast Episode 57 – The Importance of PAH Patients Returning to In-Person Visits
On episode 57 of PSQH: The Podcast, Dr. Sean Studer of Janssen and Dr. Patricia George, pulmonologist and board president at Team Phenomenal Hope, talk about the need for pulmonary arterial hypertension patients to return to in-person care visits.