Telehealth News and Market Developments
Yahoo News: Racial Trauma Is A US Mental Health Epidemic, And Telehealth Is Needed To Address It (7/7) – Race-based traumatic stress results in generations of mental health challenges. The disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on the Black community both in lives lost and the emotional trauma of grief can add to such challenges for this population. The shortage of mental health providers is also magnified in predominantly Black neighborhoods. Telehealth can be part of the solution, and can help boost appointment completion rates for Black patients from 52 percent to 70 percent according to research from five hospitals in Philadelphia. Telehealth connects patients to culturally competent care that is trauma- and race-informed, which can improve outcomes and increase trust in the health care system.
Psychiatric Times: Telehealth’s Calming Effect on Autism (7/7) – Since the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth has been used as a successful way to meet and treat patients where they are. For individuals living with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), telehealth can help reach more patients. One of telehealth’s biggest benefits is its ability to give patients more control over their treatment environment. Patients can avoid jarring transitions into medical settings and remain in spaces that are more natural to them, such as their homes. Many patients also appreciate having the freedom to switch off the video if face-to-face interactions become too intense. Providing these options can go a long way in establishing trust and connection between ASD patients and clinicians.
Health Affairs: To Integrate Virtual Care, Start By Redefining The ‘Visit’ (7/6) – As ambulatory care managers and new digital entrants alike move from a crisis mindset to a mindset of planful redesign, they will find the optimal balance between virtual and in-person care. The key to this process will be to redefine what constitutes a “visit.” To build the care delivery system of the future, which will focus on value and outcomes, the billing system and reimbursement models need to be shifted away from the idea of synchronous interactions in specific “places of service.”
Teladoc Health: Teladoc Redoubles Focus on Convenient Care, Smarter Virtual Visits with Primary360 (7/6) –Teladoc Health announced it is adding new capabilities to its platform to strengthen virtual and in-home offerings across a spectrum of virtual health services. Members of Primary360, Teladoc’s whole-person virtual care concept, will now receive health plan in-network referrals and care coordination support; free, same-day medication delivery from Capsule, a national digital pharmacy; and in-home, on-demand phlebotomy with Scarlet Health.
Modern Healthcare: Oncologists turn to telehealth for an extra layer of patient care (7/5) – Some health systems have found an enduring use case for virtual care: oncology. Although telehealth appointments aren’t a replacement for in-person therapies, oncologists say scheduling regular remote check-ins and constantly monitoring symptoms have helped them stay on top of their patients’ health, especially amid COVID-19-related delays in cancer treatments. Despite limits on efficacy data, organizations point to expanded access and reduced emergency department visits as early signs of success.
Fierce Healthcare: With Cerebral in the spotlight, DOJ, regulators to ramp up scrutiny of telehealth startups (7/5) – The Department of Justice recently launched an investigation into mental health startup Cerebral and is said to be ramping up its focus on telehealth companies and prescribing practices for controlled substances. With the rise in telehealth over the past two years, the DOJ has stepped up enforcement of telehealth services and whether they are being billed properly.
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