Telemedicine News & Updates 5-9-2018

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Posted By: Annmarie Budniak May 9, 2018

Virtual doctor visits are getting more popular, but questions remain about who pays
The Washington Post reports that tucked into the federal budget law Congress passed in February was a provision that significantly expands the use of telemedicine — long a hyped health-care reform and now poised to go mainstream within five to 10 years. The new law allows Medicare to cover telemedicine services for people who have had a stroke and those who get kidney dialysis. It also permits Medicare Advantage plans — private plans that enroll a third of Medicare beneficiaries — to offer telemedicine as a covered benefit.

First Stop Health Reports Triple-Digit Revenue Growth on High Member Utilization
First Stop Health (@firststophealth), a leader in the telemedicine sector of the virtual-care industry, announced details of its 2017 annual results today at the HLTH conference in Las Vegas.

AiRCare Program Cuts Employer Medical Costs and Generates Improved Treatment Outcomes for People with Substance Use and Other Behavioral Health Conditions
AiR Healthcare, an international provider of data-driven behavioral health care management and telemedicine, presented new results that show its AiRCare cloud-based, claims analytics and proactive behavioral health program improves outcomes and reduces medical costs for people with behavioral health disorders. The findings were presented at the HLTH 2018 conference in Las Vegas, Nev.

Dictum Health and eMD Telehealth Solutions Partner to Create a New Standard of Care for Rural America
Dictum Health, Inc. (@DictumHealth)  – innovators in telehealth’s Virtual Exam Room (VER) technology that supports patients across the continuum of care and eMD, a New Orleans, LA-based telehealth company – announced a partnership to expand access to specialty and emergency care in rural communities.

SPS Call for Abstracts for Poster Presentations
The Telemedicine & Telehealth Service Provider Summit Planning Committee invites attendees to share their work, research, and experiences involving clinical tele-specialty services by submitting an abstract related to one or more of the conference modules for a poster presentation. The deadline is June 30, 2018.

MDLIVE Surpasses Milestone of 1 Million Virtual Health Consultations
MDLIVE Inc. announced (@MDLIVEInc) it recently surpassed a significant industry growth milestone of 1 million virtual health visits. These visits are delivered by the company’s nationwide team of physician and medical experts covering every state and providing 24/7/365 access with a focus on high-quality, convenient, cost-effective virtual medical, dermatological and behavioral health care.

Avera eCARE celebrates 25 years of telemedicine delivery
The Independent reports that the world’s most extensive and diversified virtual care network, is celebrating 25 years of delivering a wide continuum of services to meet varied needs of patients, clinicians and health systems including Avera Marshall. Avera eCARE has several distinct areas: Intensive Care Unit, Emergency, Pharmacy, Senior Care, Correctional Health, Specialty Clinic, Behavioral Health, Hospitals and School Health. Avera eCARE harnesses interactive video and computer monitoring technology to extend specialty care from its eHelm “virtual health center” in Sioux Falls to 400+ sites in 17 states.

Veterans Journal: VA Video Connect expands veterans’ access to virtual health care
With a few clicks of a computer mouse, more veterans are meeting with their medical providers in virtual examination rooms and are receiving health care treatment virtually, thanks to efforts by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to expand its telehealth capabilities. Providence Journal reports that VA Video Connect allows veterans to connect with their health care teams over live video from a computer, tablet or smartphone from the comfort of their homes or other locations, thereby increasing their access to VA health care and eliminating travel times to medical centers or doctors’ offices.

How 2 Young Founders Are Bringing Teletherapy to School Kids Who Really Need It
Inc. reports that advancements in communication have revolutionized the workplace–including your doctor’s office. Enter DotCom Therapy (@dotcomtherapy), a telehelp company founded in 2015 by Emily Purdom and Rachel Robinson. It partners with schools to provide speech therapy, occupational therapy, mental health and teleaudiology services. In other words, if you or your child has a communication disorder and you can’t travel for therapy, this company’s got you covered.

Webinar: Embrace Telemedicine to Unlock its True Potential
The webinar, presented by AHIP and sponsored by Doctor on Demand, will look at specific opportunities to integrate telemedicine into health plan clinical offerings and plan design, leveraging experience from current and prospective programs. Specifics around cost savings will be cited where available. Where not available, inferences will be drawn around the magnitude of potential savings. Join AHIP and Doctor on Demand on May 31, 2018, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET.

Upcoming Events:

SPS 2018
What: Telemedicine & Telehealth Service Provider Summit (SPS)
When: October 8-9, 2018
Where: Glendale, AZ

CMS Covered Telehealth Services
You can download the list of services payable under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule when furnished via telehealth on the CMS website.

Center for Connected Health Policy (CCHP)
The Center for Connected Health Policy (@CCHPCA) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to maximize telehealth’s ability to improve health outcomes, care delivery, and cost effectiveness. Follow CCHP for the latest in telehealth policy and news.