Resources & Reports

Focus on the relationship between telehealth and disparities in access to care continues to result in new research examining pandemic era data and the use of telehealth among disadvantaged populations. While policymakers and studies often try to put findings into two groups, whether telehealth increases or decreases inequities, recent research shows that the study framework used and considerations made may impact outcomes more so than telehealth itself. For instance, this month a new study published in Health Affairs found that as a result of emergency federal telemedicine coverage expansions access increased for all Medicare populations, including those in the most disadvantaged areas.

CCHP’s May Newsletter is Here! This month’s topics include: Use of Telemedicine to Facilitate Medication Abortions; Latest Policy Developments in CCHP’s Telehealth Policy Finder and Policy Trends Map; IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:  CCHP’s State Telehealth Laws and Reimbursement Policies Summary Report; CMS Provides Revises Factsheet for FQHCs and RHCs to Bill Mental Health Visits via Telecommunications; The Committee for Responsible Federal Budget on Telehealth Examines Telehealth Impact on Medicare Spending Resulting from COVID Policy Expansions; Pharmacies Take Steps to Limit Adderall Prescriptions by Telehealth-Based Prescribers; Telemedicine Challenges for FQHCs, Audio-Only Proves Critical; Medicare Mental Health Booklet Update; HHS Secretary Becerra Expresses Support for Continuation of Telehealth; ACHC Telehealth Certification; Telehealth, Telephone & E-Visits included in HHS Risk Adjustment Program.

SPRING 2022 HIGHLIGHTED FINDINGS:  The main areas where changes were made over the past five months fall in the three buckets that CCHP uses to categorize information within its Policy Finder: Medicaid policy, private payer policy, and regulation of health professionals.  A significant number of administrative changes centered around broadening Medicaid reimbursement. In many cases, this was influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic and the expiration of many temporary expansions in telehealth reimbursement that have been in place for the past two years, and which providers and patients have become accustomed.

While the provision of health care via technology is not new, telehealth has made a big name for itself over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ve now begun to see telehealth policy evolve and catch up with technology, allowing new alignment for providers utilizing various technologies in practice. These recent telehealth policy expansions will continue to pave the way for even more modernization in health care. A recent article in Harvard Business Review (HBR), The Telehealth Era Is Just Beginning, sought to capture the current understanding and evidence around telehealth, explaining what may come next in terms of the telehealth landscape and post-pandemic telehealth policy.

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the influx of providers new to utilizing telehealth to deliver services not only sparked an increase in demands for individualized technical assistance but also for best practice guidelines.  Prior to the pandemic, best practice guidelines for the most part were created by professional organizations/societies or individual institutions to be used solely by their organizations.