Tag: Telehealth

CARY, N.C. – The Accreditation Commission for Health Care, Inc. (ACHC) now offers a Telehealth Certification that focuses on improving patient outcomes for organizations using remote patient monitoring, biometrics and video and audio technologies for encounters or education.  “The pandemic really pushed health care providers to adopt and grow telehealth services to maintain access for patients and, as a result, many of our clients were seeking ways to optimize this offering in...

PHOENIX - Telehealth for the complex rehab market is never going away, says Scott Martin, MD, MS, medical director of TeleHealth Clinical Evals. Last year, TeleHealth Clinical Evals conducted thousands of wheelchair assessments via telemedicine. HME News recently spoke to Dr. Martin, who will be hosting a session at Medtrade West on telehealth, about its benefits.  HME News: Why is telehealth the new normal?  Dr. Scott Martin: Was the need always there for a smartphone? Absolutely....

CHICAGO – Physicians have embraced telehealth and they expect to use it even more in the future, according to a new survey from the American Medical Association.    Nearly 85% of physician respondents say they are currently using telehealth to care for patients, and nearly 70% say their organization is motivated to continue using telehealth in their practice, particularly for chronic disease management and ongoing medical management, care coordination, mental/behavioral health...

WASHINGTON – More than two in five Medicare beneficiaries, or 28 million, used telehealth during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report from the Office of Inspector General.  In total, beneficiaries used 88 times more telehealth services during the first year of the pandemic than they used in the prior year, the OIG found.  “Telehealth was critical for providing services to Medicare beneficiaries during the first year of the pandemic,”...

WASHINGTON – Complex rehab stakeholders helped to make sure that a recently passed omnibus bill extending telehealth services beyond the public health emergency included physical therapists and occupational therapists.  The bill, signed by President Biden on March 15 and passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate the week prior, extends telehealth services for 151 days beyond the PHE.  “This is a positive development for protecting remote services for people...

EAST AMHERST, N.Y. – NCART says it grew its membership by nearly 20% in 2021. Two of the organization’s newest members include Alpine Home Medical, a provider with 10 locations in Utah and Idaho; and Matia Robotics, a manufacturer of “innovative solutions” for individuals with disabilities. “Thank you to both organizations for adding their support to CRT advocacy work,” the organization stated in a bulletin. “We couldn’t be prouder to be working alongside...

WASHINGTON – The Council for Quality Respiratory Care has commended lawmakers in the House of Representatives for including an important provision in the newly introduced 21st Century Cures 2.0 Act to permanently extend the home as a site for telehealth for Medicare beneficiaries. The bill would also allow CMS to extend other telehealth flexibilities permanently to increase access to telehealth services. “Given the increasingly important role of home respiratory care in the treatment...

WASHINGTON – The majority of Medicare beneficiaries (84%) received telehealth services only from providers with whom they had an established relationship, the Office of Inspector General has found. Those enrolled in traditional Medicare were more likely to receive services from providers with whom they had an established relationship compared to beneficiaries in Medicare Advantage, it found. “This pattern persisted among virtually all of the most common telehealth services,” the...

MINNEAPOLIS – Best Buy has signed an agreement to acquire Current Health, a technology platform that brings together remote patient monitoring, telehealth and patient engagement into a single solution for healthcare organizations.   “The future of consumer technology is directly connected to the future of healthcare,” said Deborah Di Sanzo, president of Best Buy Health. “We have the distinct expertise in helping customers make technology work for them directly in their...

Q. With the continued shortage of respiratory therapists, how do we look for ways to maximize this scarce resource?  A.One HME company has outsourced their RT coverage exclusively with a tele-respiratory therapist. This organization incorporates a couple of strategies:  The customer comes into the HME’s location and meets with a customer service representative and a tele-respiratory therapist joins remotely to provide the PAP setup instruction. The relationship is developed...