State Telehealth News
mHealth Intelligence: (12/29) – California State Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry introduced AB 32 earlier this month, which would indefinitely extend the emergency provisions enacted during the public health emergency by making expanded telehealth coverage permanent in the Medi-Cal program. The bill, which will be debated next month, would also call for an analysis and report on the benefits of telehealth in the Medi-Cal program to be completed by June 2025.
Kaiser Family Foundation: (12/23) – KFF released a new brief with results from focus group interviews conducted with 16 state and regional Primary Care Associations, outlining how health centers have adapted service delivery models to respond to COVID-19 and meet patient needs. The study found that while rapidly pivoting to telehealth was key for health centers to continue seeing patients and staying financially solvent during the pandemic, many patients faced technology or cultural barriers that prevented them from accessing telehealth services.
The Boston Globe: (12/22) – Lawmakers in the Massachusetts House and Senate reached a deal on a bill containing several telehealth provisions to increase access to care in the state. The bill extends emergency requirements implemented during COVID-19 by mandating health plans to cover telehealth services in any case where in-person services would be covered. The bill would also require permanent payment parity for behavioral health services delivered via telehealth, as well as payment parity for the next two years for primary care and chronic disease management services delivered via telehealth.
Fierce Healthcare: (12/22) – NYU Langone in New York City leveraged its telehealth platform and bedside digital tools to adapt to a new way of delivering care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The health system scaled up its inpatient virtual health platform, MyWall, using its existing technology and operational infrastructure to be used as a tool for virtual visits across the system’s inpatient facilities.
Virginia Mercury: (12/22) – This op-ed outlines how telehealth expansions in the Commonwealth of Virginia have been transformative for how patients access care throughout the pandemic. The article outlines recommendations for how to build on this progress, including continuing to fund local broadband expansions, conducting a telehealth study on outcomes, and continuing to revise regulations to increase access and reduce barriers in accessing telehealth across the state.
EHR Intelligence: (12/21) – The Idaho Health Data Exchange (IHDE) integrated a remote patient monitoring program to improve patient care and boost telehealth services across the state. The goal of the platform was to implement a telehealth alternative for patients to access remote preventative, routine, and chronic care in order to improve safety for older patients or those who live far from their providers during the pandemic.
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