Telemedicine News & Updates 7-25-2018

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Posted By: Annmarie Budniak July 25, 2018

Aligned Telehealth Launches Partnership with Behavioral Health Connections, Expanding Market Reach Throughout Texas
Aligned Telehealth (@alignedth), a behavioral healthcare solutions providers, announced it has begun active implementation of a partnership agreement with Behavioral Health Connections, Inc. (BHC), headquartered in Dallas, Texas. BHC provides psychiatric mobile/tele assessment, crisis intervention and care management services for Texas residents in psychiatric crises.

Global Partnership for Telehealth Announces New Web-based Telemedicine Software; Virtual Consultations Now Faster, Easier, More Affordable for Providers
Global Partnership for Telehealth (@GPTelehealth), a non-profit corporation whose mission is to deliver worldwide access to telehealth, announced the availability of its new telemedicine web-based video conferencing software called Pathways. For specialty and primary care telemedicine consultations, Pathways allows telehealth users to access different peripheral scopes, a tele-auscultation platform, and shared patient health information all in one secure web-based platform, making consultations much easier to perform.

Blockchain-powered Telemedicine Application Debuts in U.K.
A pilot program in the U.K. is testing MyClinic.com, a telemedicine application that allows patients to schedule video consultations with doctors and pay for services with cryptocurrency. A cryptocurrency startup that received $24 million in funding through an initial coin offering has launched a pilot program in the U.K. that aims at demonstrating the effectiveness of blockchain technology in healthcare.

CMS Proposes to Overhaul Medicare Billing Standards, Pay for Telehealth
mTelehealth reports the CMS on Thursday proposed paying doctors for virtual visits and overhauling Medicare billing standards it has had in place since the 1990s. In a lengthy proposed rule, the agency said it would pay doctors for their time when they reach out to beneficiaries via telephone or other telecommunications devices to decide whether an office visit or other service is needed. In addition, the CMS also proposed paying for the time it takes physicians to review a video or image sent by a patient seeking care or diagnosis for an ailment.

FCC Plans $100M Telehealth Care Pilot
HealthExec reports that the Federal Communications Commission is planning to launch a new $100 million telehealth initiative called the Connected Care Pilot Program aimed at low-income Americans, veterans and those living in rural areas. The plan was announced around the same time CMS proposed adding telehealth reimbursement for some services in the 2019 Physician Feed Schedule. The program aims to reduce healthcare costs through technology that connects patients and caregivers online. In particular, the FCC is hoping to lower care costs associated with chronic disease, which account for more than 85 percent of direct healthcare spending in the nation, the FCC stated.

House Subcommittee Hearing Examines Rural Broadband and Telehealth
The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology recently held a hearing examining challenges and solutions related to the issue of rural broadband. In a statement submitted for the hearing, AHA told the subcommittee it appreciates its “focus on the importance of expanding broadband connectivity and removing barriers to improved access to health care through technology and telehealth.”

What can Health Systems do to Encourage Physicians to Embrace Virtual Care?
​With changing health care reimbursement models, growing consumer demand, and advances in digital technologies, virtual care is a must-have for health systems. But how can hospitals and health systems gain physician buy-in? It might be easier than you think. Deloitte 2018 Survey of US Physicians sheds some light on the situation.

New Telehealth Case Study Released for Home Health Care
Homestead Health and Accessible Home Health Care – Houston have jointly released a comprehensive case study of a new, innovative telehealth technology following a year-long home health pilot program initiative.

The Virtual Care Reimbursement Parity Puzzle: What Everyone Should Know
According to Zipnosis (@Zipnosis), in a 2015 survey of family physicians conducted by the AAFP’s Graham Center, family physicians cited education and reimbursement as the two leading barriers to telemedicine adoption by family physicians. Since that survey, not much has changed – particularly in the area of reimbursement parity.

Top 10 Telemedicine Solution Providers
“A distinguished panel of CEOs, CIOS, VCs and Healthcare Tech Outlook’s editorial board” lists the top 10 telemedicine solution providers for 2018.

MyTelemedicine Named “Top 10 Telemedicine Solution Providers of 2018,” According to Healthcare Tech Outlook
MyTelemedicine, a Digital Healthcare Technology company, is named one of the “Top 10 Telemedicine Solution Providers of 2018,” according to Healthcare Tech Outlook, a digital and print magazine publication of Valley Media, Inc.

Myongji Hospital, InTouch Health to Create Telehealth System in Korea
The Korea Biomedical Review reports that Myongji Hospital and leading U.S.-based telehealth firm InTouch Health have partnered to test out a telehealth system in Korea, dubbed the “Korean Telehealth” pilot project, the hospital said.

In State News:

Md. Health Care Commission Requests Grant Applications for School-Based Telehealth
The Maryland Health Care Commission is offering two grant-funding opportunities of up to $200,000 each to increase access to services in Maryland public schools, including primary care, behavioral-health services, chronic disease management, and hearing and speech therapy.

Telepsychiatry Program Connects Students with Mental Health Care
In NY, the Bassett Healthcare Network is cutting through distance and backed-up appointment books to get quick care for children who need mental health treatment. A telepsychiatry program, which started in May, is linking children seeing counselors in the network’s school-based health centers with a Bassett child and adolescent psychiatrist in Cooperstown.

When the Lone Doctor is Out, Telemedicine Keeps this ER Running
The little hospital in the small West Texas city of Van Horn has a problem. It is the only trauma facility in a vast stretch of land — and, as with other rural hospitals, few doctors want to work there. This summer, staff in Van Horn’s 14-bed Culberson Hospital decided to try something new to address it. They are using telemedicine to treat trauma patients.

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.