Telehealth

A bipartisan group of Senators this week unveiled legislation to remove Medicare barriers to telemedicine use in a bill that proponents say can generate $1.8 billion in savings over 10 years. Led by Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, and Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the CONNECT for Health Act seeks to create an opening for more providers to incorporate telemedicine into their practices. The Senate group hopes to use the platform to further study its effects on healthcare. [Also: Doctor on Demand expands telehealth services to include psychiatry] Currently, many providers are restricted in telemedicine use by geography, strict rules around originating sites, restrictions on store-and-forward technologies, limitations on reimbursable codes and more. Under the CONNECT act, the Senators propose a bridge program to assist providers in the transition to the new Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act, with its the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System, by removing many restrictions to telehealth and remote patient monitoring under Medicare. Qualifying providers participating in MACRA's alternative payment models, for example, will be allowed to use patient monitoring for patients with chronic conditions. In addition, it would allow new originating sites – dialysis facilities, telestroke evaluation and management sites and Native American health service facilities – and permit further telehealth and remote patient monitoring in community health centers  and rural health clinics. The bill would also allow telehealth and RPM to be basic benefits in Medicare Advantage. That optimism will be scrutinized by the Congressional Budget Office, which has been skeptical of telehealth's ability to reduce government spending. The act is endorsed by a long list of organizations including American Medical Association, Kaiser Permanente, Cerner, AARP, Anthem, Telecommunications Industry Association, American Academy of Physicians and National Association of ACOs, amongst others. Twitter: @JessiefDavis

Tom Martin, PhD, Director at HIMSS and PCHA, provides a sneak peak at what’s in store for attendees interested in learning about connected health technologies at HIMSS16. Watch more video coverage of HIMSS16

(SPONSORED) Telehealth technologies are on the rise. For hospitals and providers, telehealth enables more frequent connections with existing patients, and the ability to reach new patients in new markets. Here are the top ten questions providers ask when considering telehealth.

Doctor on Demand has expanded its telemedicine platform to include board-certified psychiatrists, the company announced on Tuesday. In December 2014, Doctor on Demand began offering mental health services with the addition of psychologists to its provider network. Extending the network to include psychiatrists will complete the mental health cycle, from therapy to medicine, officials said. "Mental health is a vital area, where there may be the most need for telemedicine," said Donovan Wong, MD, medical director of behavioral health at Doctor on Demand. [Also: Telehealth's biggest roadblock: physician reimbursement] "There's really a lack of access to care," he said. "Rural areas have the worst access, but even in big cities, like Los Angeles, the wait time is up to five weeks or more for 80 percent of the population. That's really our mission: increasing high quality care. With mental health, that's really what we'd like to do." Doctor on Demand's telemedicine platform connects patients with care providers. It started in 2012, with board-certified physicians, later expanding to offer consults with lactation consultants and psychologists. More than 300 mental health professionals can be found on the network in 27 states, including licensed psychologists and board-certified psychiatrists. The company plans to expand the services nationwide by mid-year. Currently, many patients pay out-of-pocket, but Wong said Doctor on Demand hopes to change that in the near future. The platform has partnered with dozens of employers and health plans, such as United Healthcare, providing 45 million Americans access. Last month, the company announced it signed its 400th corporate customer. “Many Americans don’t have access to mental health treatment, and for those that do, long wait times, distance, cost and stigma are still barriers to getting care.” Wong said in a statement. "These are all challenges telemedicine can address." [Like Healthcare IT News on Facebook] A 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health estimated one in five adults aged 18 or older had a mental illness, but only 45 percent of these affected parties received treatment. Furthermore, 55 percent of the nation's 3,100 counties have no practicing mental health workers and the average wait time to see a psychiatrist is two months in some cities and eight months in rural counties. "Too many people don’t know where to turn for mental health care, so they get overpriced care, the wrong care, or no care at all," said Adam Jackson, co-founder and CEO of Doctor on Demand, in a statement. "By adding psychiatrists, we're striving to meet our mission of increasing access to high-quality care.” Twitter: @JessiefDavis

Pamela F. Cipriano, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, President of the American Nurses Association (ANA), sits down with Healthcare IT News at the HIMSS Connected Health Conference to discuss the important role of nurses in adoption of mobile health technology. LEARNING CENTER: 2015 HIMSS Connected Health Conference Session Recordings

Group sends letter to lawmakers urging fixes such as strengthening telehealth reimbursement policies under Medicare.

Marin General Hospital has entered a 15-year, $90 million agreement with Philips to roll out an array of technologies including clinical informatics, patient monitoring, telehealth and imaging.

The Arkansas Antenatal and Neonatal Guidelines, Education and Learning System, otherwise known as ANGELS, has seen big gains in improving the state’s access to care and reducing infant mortality rates.

Microsoft has been building health-centric features into its stable of products and heading into HIMSS16 is also hoping to tap into the show’s overarching trends: patient engagement, telehealth and wearables. Acknowledging that Microsoft has historically been known as the Windows and Office company, Microsoft communications manager Greg Ormsby said the company is looking to build on those platforms in healthcare. "What’s changing are the emerging care scenarios," Ormsby said. "We’re looking to augment that shift." See all of our HIMSS16 previews At the upcoming HIMSS16, for instance, Ormsby said Team Redmond will be showcasing demonstrations of a partnership that will see MDLive using Skype for Business to conduct telehealth consults between doctors and patients as well as physicians and specialists. That’s one example. Ormsby said that Microsoft is set to release the Surface Hub this quarter and that collaboration tool will be a key piece of the company’s aim to "transform the hospital room." "Patient engagement really rests on helping doctors do their jobs more efficiently so they can help patients during the visit," Ormsby said. On the back end, Microsoft is girding to make the doctor’s experience with any EHR fluid so they can take notes, change apps naturally within a tablet, PC or phone, and access information they need in what Ormsby said should be an unburdensome way. [What healthcare organizations need to know about Windows 10 and Office 16.]  And while much work remains, by Microsoft and other wearable providers, to determine how endpoint devices can be integrated with healthcare organizations other data sources, Ormsby said Microsoft is seeing partners and customers looking into use cases, such as chronic care — and the devices evolving as well.  "Microsoft Band is a fitness and wellness wearable, we target that stay-fit crowd," Ormsby said.  "But one would argue it has the ability to do a lot, like a mobile health app — but that’s to be determined still." Microsoft will be in booth 3832. Twitter: @SullyHIT

Daniel Barchi has taken the reins as chief information officer at NewYork-Presbyterian, where he will oversee a new telehealth program set to launch this year as well as the development and implementation of technology across the health system.