Telehealth News and Market Developments
Health Leaders: For FQHCs, RHCs, Telehealth Still has an Expiration Date (10/13) – There are roughly 4,700 rural health clinics (RHCs), 1,400 federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), and 1,600 so-called FQHC look-alikes in the US, all providing health care services for underserved communities and populations. These providers have seen a lot of success in using digital health and telehealth during the pandemic, thanks to federal and state waivers expending access to and coverage of telehealth. Those waivers will end with the end of the federal public health emergency, and no action has been taken yet to allow FQHCs and RHCs to use telehealth permanently.
American Society of Addiction Medicine: ASAM Releases Public Policy Statement on Optimizing Telehealth Access to Addiction Care; Substance Use and Substance Use Disorder Among Pregnant and Postpartum People (10/13) – ASAM released two new public policy statements with recommendations for improving addiction care in the U.S. The first statement focuses on the role of telehealth in treating addiction, and includes recommendations such as calling on the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to issue final regulations to implement the special registration for telemedicine exception for prescribing of controlled substances under the Ryan Haight Act. The second statement includes policy recommendations for improving health outcomes for pregnant and postpartum people who use substances or have substance use disorder.
Bloomberg Law: Medicaid, Telehealth Fallout: Ending Covid Emergency Explained (10/12) – Millions of Americans’ Medicaid coverage and remote health care services will end once the COVID-19 PHE ends. This article provides an overview of Medicaid coverage, the impact of ending telehealth flexibilities on providers and nursing home workers, and emergency use authorization products.
NYU Langone Health: Perlmutter Cancer Center—Sunset Park Pilot Program Offers Virtual Supportive Oncology Visits for People with Lung Cancer
(10/11) – A pilot program at NYU Langone Health’s Perlmutter Cancer Center—Sunset Park is using telemedicine to match eligible people with lung cancer with supportive care physicians at Perlmutter Cancer Center in Manhattan to bridge the digital divide that exists for medically underserved patients with lung cancer. Telemedicine visits with the Manhattan-based team can be challenging because as many as half of Sunset Park patients do not have the ability to connect with the supportive care team remotely through a smartphone or a computer. Since the pilot program launched in April, more than 50 people have spoken with a supportive care physician. Plans are underway to expand telemedicine access to other services that are not yet available in Sunset Park, including psychiatric services.
Health Leaders: Exploring New Opportunities with the Chief Patient Experience Officer (10/11) – Alliance board member Stanford Health Care discussed the role of chief patient experience officer and how it has increased in visibility and importance over the past two decades as health care organizations shift to value-based care. In many cases, health care executives are using digital health and telehealth technology to create new connections, pass along important information, and gather data about the patient outside the hospital setting.
Contemporary Pediatrics: Telemedicine Intervention Effective Against Childhood Obesity (10/11) – Primary care intervention for childhood obesity is effective and affordable when delivered through telemedicine. The WELL clinic, run by the Children’s Primary Care Medical Group, is a primary care specialty clinic stationed in San Diego and Riverside counties. During the COVID-19 pandemic, care at the WELL clinic shifted to telemedicine delivery, allowing care to reach a wider number of patients than before. During the two-year period of telemedicine care, 4,104 referrals were submitted, with 970 initial visits and 2,554 follow-up visits fulfilled. Of these, 98 patients completed at least six visits. Body mass index (BMI) saw a reduction in 43 percent of patients, 11 percent of which ended the program with a BMI of under 95 percent. Additionally, no-show rates were reduced through telemedicine use.
Walmart: Walmart’s Health Care Research Institute Launches with Mission to Improve Care for Underserved Communities Through Research (10/11) – Alliance board member Walmart announced the launch of the Walmart Healthcare Research Institute (WHRI) to increase community access to health care research that may help lead to safer, higher quality and more equitable health care. WHRI will focus on innovative interventions and medications that can make a difference in underrepresented communities including older adults, rural residents, women and minority populations. WHRI will initially focus on inclusion in studies on treatments for chronic conditions and innovative treatments that should include members from these communities. For decades, clinical trials have not been representative of the population at large and often recruit participants who live near research centers, and who have the time and financial ability to participate. The Alliance for Connected Care has advocated
for diversifying clinical trials by addressing state licensing limitations.
Healthcare IT News: Using Telemedicine When It Makes Sense (10/11) – During the HIMSS22 APAC conference, panelists discussed moving towards a mix of in-person and virtual care post-pandemic. Panelists emphasized that the mix of in-person and virtual care decreases the entry point into the health care system and allows providers to make a better decision on the clinical disposition of the patient.
The Business Journals: Brave Health Raises $40 Million to Bring Mental Health Care to Medicaid Patients (10/11) – Brave Health, a telehealth provider focused on serving Medicaid populations, announced it will bring mental health services to more Medicaid patients. The company plans to build the technology and data infrastructure needed to power its service. Brave Health is the first venture to receive an investment from Town Hall Venture's new $350 million fund dedicated to supporting health care access in underserved communities.
Healthcare IT News: How Telemedicine and Digital Therapeutics Can Improve Orthopedic Care and Physical Therapy (10/11) – Minority and lower-income populations are less likely to have orthopedic surgery – and more likely to experience poor outcomes when they do. Access challenges are partly to blame. Disadvantaged populations face many barriers to care, including low referral rates, lack of Medicaid acceptance and transportation difficulties. Healthcare IT News interviewed physical therapist Bronwyn Spira, founder and CEO of Force Therapeutics, to discuss the challenges and opportunities surrounding this area of virtual care.
Stat News: As Small-Town Telepharmacies Struggle to Stay Open, National Chains Eye an Opportunity (10/11) – Telepharmacies, which have long been held up as a potential solution for underserved communities without pharmacies of their own, have grown in number as dwindling prescription reimbursements force businesses to close. To help close those gaps, about half of U.S. states have made it possible to review prescriptions remotely. Adoption has been slow, in part because of concerns about telepharmacy’s safety. Some of the biggest networks of all — retail pharmacy giants like CVS and Walgreens — are starting to experiment with the model. Alliance board member CVS said it is testing telepharmacy in certain states, and hopes to develop a model that improves patient outcomes and access while cutting costs.
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