Telehealth
The Senate last night passed a $1.5 trillion omnibus appropriations bill that would fund the federal government through the end of the current fiscal year.
The House of Representatives last night passed a $1.5 trillion omnibus appropriations bill that would fund the federal government through the end of the current fiscal year. The legislation also includes provisions beneficial to hospitals and health systems.
The House Appropriations Committee announced an agreement on omnibus appropriations legislation funding the federal government through the end of the current fiscal year.
Questions remain about who the primary telehealth users are, where utilization is concentrated, how patients prefer to access care and how physicians feel about delivering care in this manner. Two recent reports looked at these issues and came to a similar finding: Absent significant change,鈥
Teladoc has begun offering access to some of its general medical telehealth services through Amazon鈥檚 Alexa voice assistant and Echo devices. Under the partnership, consumers can now give the command 鈥淎lexa, I want to talk to a doctor鈥 at any time of the day and they will be routed to a Teladoc鈥
Responding to a request for information on digital health, the AHA Friday urged Congress to permanently eliminate all restrictions on telehealth originating and geographic sites; continue to allow rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers to serve as distant sites for all鈥
Responding to a request for information on digital health, the AHA March 4th urged Congress to permanently eliminate all restrictions on telehealth originating and geographic sites; continue to allow rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers to serve as distant sites for all鈥
Pilot programs in America and Europe are examining the value of employing a mix of in-person and telehealth services in settings outside of hospitals, and recently published Mayo Clinic research indicates many patients prefer the hybrid approach. One such program is Mayo鈥檚 Care Hotel.
A record $37.9 billion poured into the U.S. digital health market in 2021, according to CB Insights鈥 recent 鈥淪tate of Digital Health鈥 report. A large share of that money helped fund startups focusing on telehealth, mental health and wellness, and digital therapeutics.
At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) quickly moved to waive a number of regulatory requirements. These waivers provided hospitals and health systems with critical flexibilities to manage what has been a prolonged and unpredictable pandemic.