Resources & Reports

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.

Today the Center for Connected Health Policy (CCHP) is releasing its Summary of state telehealth policy changes for Spring.  Additionally, we are also making available a summary chart showing where states stand on many key telehealth policies, as well as aninfographic highlighting our key findings.  The most current information in CCHP’s online policy finder tool may be exported for each state into a PDF document.  Note that the review period for this report was January through March 2023.

Earlier this week, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) released a temporary rule titled “Temporary Extension of COVID-19 Telemedicine Flexibilities for Prescription of Controlled Medications”.  The temporary rule was made in response to nearly 39,000 comments the DEA received on their proposed rules regarding what would happen post-public health emergency (PHE) in regards to prescribing of controlled substances via telehealth. The two earlier released proposed rules, one related to non-narcotic controlled substances and one related to buprenorphine, were published on March 1, 2023 with public comment closing on March 31, 2023. The two rules would only allow for the prescribing of a 30-day supply of a non-narcotic controlled substance or buprenorphine.