Resources & Reports

Last month the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) clarified that it would be extending the public health emergency (PHE) allowances for using telehealth to prescribe controlled substances for an additional six months after the end of the PHE (May 11, 2023). This would mean that practitioners may still prescribe controlled substances to patients via telehealth without having had an in-person exam or meeting one of the other exceptions found in federal law until November 11, 2023. After November 11, 2023, those practitioners who during the pandemic and the six months after the end of the PHE used telehealth to prescribe to patients without conducting an in-person exam, may continue to prescribe controlled substances to those patients for an additional year.

CCHP’s June Newsletter is Here! This month’s topics include – PHE Ended May 11 – Unwinding of the Complex Telehealth Policy Web, Although Major Telehealth Medicare Flexibilities Still Active; CMS Update on FQHC/RHC Mental Health Telecommunication Visits; In case you missed it:  CCHP’s 50 State Report Release; FTC Health Breach Notification Rule Clarifying Applicability to Health Apps and Technology; Latest Developments in CCHP’s Telehealth Policy Finder and Policy Trends Map; Draft Guidance on Decentralized Clinical Trials (includes telehealth and digital health technologies); New Studies Published Addressing Telehealth Inequities and Perceived Biases in Healthcare AI.

In recent weeks, a handful of new studies have been released showcasing the benefits of remote patient monitoring (RPM) as a specific telehealth modality. Generally, RPM is considered to be the collection of a wide range of health data from the point of care, such as vital signs, weight, and blood pressure. The data is then typically transmitted to health professionals in facilities such as monitoring centers in primary care settings, hospitals and intensive care units, as well as skilled nursing facilities. The increased need to keep patients at home, as well as expanded coverage policies during the COVID public health emergency (PHE), have allowed for additional RPM utilization and study.

A recent study published in this month’s edition of the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (JNCCN) found that cancer patients reported higher satisfaction with visits conducted via telehealth compared to those done in-person.  Like all patients at the beginning of the pandemic, cancer patients faced challenges in continuing to receive needed care and faced the added risk of being among some of the most vulnerable to COVID-19.  Practitioners who were treating cancer patients needed to pivot sharply towards telehealth, many of which had not utilized the technology before and were experiencing telehealth for the first time.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration Bureau of Primary Health Care recently released a series of briefsregarding the Optimizing Virtual Care (OVC) program and health center experiences and strategies related to virtual care implementation. Using Fiscal year (FY) 2022 funding, the OVC program funded 29 health centers to develop, implement, and evaluate innovative evidence-based virtual care strategies designed to expand telehealth utilization, health care access and clinical quality for underserved communities, as well as improve health outcomes, enhance care coordination, and promote health equity.