March 25, 2022 – Telemedicine soared in 2020 due to the pandemic. Usage has plateaued since then, but it’s a safe bet it’s not going away. And with it comes questions. What role will it play in urgent care and chronic care management? Will it lead to fewer in-person visits, or more? Will it change the type – and number – of procedures performed in the clinic? How about the type – and volume – of medical supplies, devices and equipment used there?
“We don’t pretend to read all the tea leaves; but we believe the right ecosystem is a hybrid model,” that is, a combination of face-to-face and virtual visits, says David Houghton, M.D., MPH, chief of the Division of Movement Disorders at Ochsner Health in New Orleans and head of the health system’s telemedicine and digital health initiatives. “That means providing the level of care that is appropriate every time and providing patients with accessible and available technology that complements the important patient-provider relationship.”
Video or audio telemedicine can offer access to a clinician for patients who lack transportation or who can’t take time off from work, according to researchers from Kaiser Permanente Division of Research, Oakland, California. “Still, it is unclear whether telemedicine visits adequately address the patient’s clinical concern, are more likely to require subsequent follow-up outpatient care, or are more likely to be followed by a serious health event that requires an emergency department visit or hospital stay,” they wrote.
Regulatory and legislative adjustments in response to the pandemic boosted telemedicine in early 2020. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services used emergency waiver authorities to expand access to telehealth services, including waiving geographic restrictions and allowing beneficiaries to receive telehealth in their homes. Additionally, the HHS Office for Civil Rights relaxed enforcement of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy requirements for videoconferencing.
Physicians enrolled in the Medicare program licensed in any state were granted the authority to provide telehealth services to people anywhere in the U.S. if the state allows it. The waivers also allowed physicians to practice from home. What’s more, CMS’ Interim Final Rule allowed for payment for audio-only evaluation and management (E&M) services. In November 2021, CMS announced it would continue to reimburse providers for extended Medicare telehealth services through Dec. 31, 2023.
Read more in the latest issue of The Journal of Healthcare Contracting.