Telemedicine programs may seem revolutionary. The concept of a physician “beaming” into a hospital room may seem like Star Trek Healthcare. You may wonder at the efficacy, when the physician is a face on a TV monitor. Truth is, telemedicine programs are proven effective in medical care — with highly skilled medical Specialists, advanced audio/video/sensory…
Read MoreThe Hospital Readmission Reduction Program (HRRP), which is managed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), reduces payments to hospitals with excessive readmissions. High readmission rates can contribute to significant damage to a hospital’s financial health. What actions can hospitals take to lower readmissions? The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality estimates patients…
Read MoreEarly in this series, we discussed the need to lift CMS virtual care and telehealth restrictions related to the patient’s originating site and attending physician. Today we focus on reimbursement parity for inpatient telemedicine. When the needs of patients suffering from the novel coronavirus triggered changes to CMS reimbursement policies, many private health insurers also…
Read MoreEven before the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) waived site requirements for telemedicine reimbursement in response to the pandemic, rural hospitals benefited from telehealth-friendly legislation to maintain access to care despite the nationwide doctor shortage. Prior to the waivers related to COVID-19, CMS rules around telemedicine reimbursement didn’t apply to vulnerable urban hospitals.…
Read MoreHospitals and communities have taken a big hit in recent months. The good news is — telemedicine has helped them stay afloat, closing up service gaps to meet community needs. Eagle is proud to help these hospitals rise to the challenge. Let’s take a step back to examine this complicated situation, and illustrate just how…
Read MoreBefore the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of regulatory restrictions, like registration for DEA telemedicine numbers, limited a physician’s ability to practice across state lines. Many of these, such as instate licensure requirements, were waived to combat the public health emergency (PHE) by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). While the CMS changes marked…
Read MoreDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, many barriers to telemedicine and access to remote doctors were removed to meet emergency healthcare demand. Most states relaxed in-state licensing requirements for physicians and treatment and reimbursement restrictions were modified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). These temporary changes opened doors to patient care and telemedicine. For…
Read MoreOver the past several years, hospital revenue has fallen while facilities have also been pushed to provide higher quality, lower cost care. In many states, hospitals joined regional health networks to offer more coordinated care using shared resources. Smaller hospitals, often in rural areas, struggled to serve their communities without that support system, losing physician…
Read MoreMedicaid patients are among the country’s most vulnerable, as these millions of Americans include low-income adults, children, pregnant women, elderly adults and people with disabilities. They live in every corner of the US — in densely populated cities, remote rural regions, towns and cities of every size. In setting up the Medicaid system, the federal…
Read MoreWith the COVID-19 crisis, Eagle Telemedicine has seen an uptick in questions about telehealth implementation plans. Hospitals contacted Eagle to prepare for coronavirus patients, and manage the care of patients with the virus. The flurry of requests was no surprise. Jason Povio, Senior Vice President of Operations at Eagle Telemedicine What was a surprise? More…
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