As emergency telehealth expansions have begun to expire one of the most pressing policy areas has become licensing and the state flexibilities that temporarily allow out-of-state providers to treat patients via telehealth during the pandemic regardless of location. It is now one of the number one issues CCHP receives policy questions about.
While telehealth policy has always varied by state, we have now entered into a new and confusing gray area as we phase out of pandemic-era policies, leaving many unsure what is still currently allowed and what will continue to be allowed via telehealth moving forward. Federally, not much has changed and since it has been indicated that the US public health emergency (PHE) will last through the end of the year most federal emergency flexibilities will remain in place through 2021. While there are many active bills and some proposed expansions under Medicare, it is still unknown what may end up as permanent telehealth policy.
The COVID-19 pandemic has magnified many existing disparities within the United States health care system, including those related to clinical trial processes. The increased use of telehealth to improve access to care for all individuals may have the ability to decrease disparities in clinical trial research. According to a press release from Dr. Harsha Rajasimha, founder and CEO of Jeeva Informatics, a lack of diversity in clinical trial participants has been a long-standing issue, with some trials 80-90% white and underrepresenting communities of color, women, children, the LGBTQ+ community, and those that live in rural areas.
Last month, the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) released a new report, Remote Patient Monitoring in the Safety Net: What Payers and Providers Need to Know, which looks at remote patient monitoring (RPM) policy considerations and how RPM can improve chronic condition care and prevention. The CHCF report focuses on RPM’s use specific to safety-net providers given system constraints particularly limiting chronic illness management to those patient populations. They note that in California, avoidable hospitalizations are highest for Medicaid beneficiaries and that almost 700 hospitalizations per 100,000 people could be prevented through better access to care and more effective chronic care management.
CCHP’s August Newsletter is Here! This month includes: California Telehealth Policy Updates: New Broadband, Emergency Flexibility Extension, and Health Information Exchange Laws; July Policy Developments in CCHP’s Telehealth Policy Finder and Policy Trends Maps; Large Health Care Coalition Urges Congress to Act on Telehealth; Health Information Access and Privacy Post-Pandemic; Telemedicine Platform Issues for Providers and Patient Preferences; More Data on Telehealth Benefits Related to Emergency Care; NCSL Telehealth Resource for State Legislators; Proposed 2022 PFS and Telemental Health Policies; CONNECT for Health Act of 2021 Fact Sheet and Video
