Image sourced from healthaffairs.org
Curating the latest updates, news and announcements related to telehealth in the U.S.
The landscape of telehealth is changing every day. The adoption of telehealth soared in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and has become an integral platform for healthcare. Laws have been updated to accommodate the changing landscape of telehealth. Providing the highest level of care for all people means valuing everyone equally with focused and ongoing societal efforts to address avoidable inequalities, historical and contemporary injustices, and the elimination of health and healthcare disparities. As part of the Virginia Telehealth Networks equity series, we’ll be highlighting a handful of headlines related to equity and telehealth services each month.
Leveraging the Opportunity for Telehealth Policy and Equity
Telehealth is here to stay, but what it will look like and who it will benefit remains unsettled. It will largely depend on congressional action and policy decisions around which virtual services CMS and commercial payers will continue to cover. There are also policy recommendations and advocacy goals for the coming months. Patients on the South Side of Chicago are disproportionately burdened with chronic disease and lower life expectancy. Without significant policy changes, experts say their most vulnerable patients will be the ones least likely to benefit from telemedicine. Read more from on healthaffairs.org here
The Importance of telemedicine for Seniors During the Pandemic
Telemedicine has been hailed as a necessary “silver lining” of the COVID-19 pandemic. For the nation’s older adults and other Medicare beneficiaries, telemedicine has been an essential lifeline. In March 2020, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reimbursed telemedicine services rendered to any patient. Learn why telemedicine use has decreased sharply, the importance of audio-only telemedicine appointments and the effect of race and ethnicity on telemedicine.
Keeping Equity in Mind when Implementing Telehealth
Financial barriers, access to technology and technical skill levels need to be addressed to ensure equitable delivery of telehealth services. The Telehealth Immersion Program webinar, as part of the AMA STEPS Forward™ Innovation Academy, highlighted the key methods for implementing innovative solutions with an equity lens. During the webinar, Courtney Lyles, PhD, outlined best practices for implementing telehealth in an equitable, inclusive way, focusing on the impact on historically marginalized and minoritized patients and the clinicians and systems that care for them. Read more from the American Medical Association here.
Achieving Equity with Telehealth
Telemedicine is finding staying power as a valuable tool for bringing care to underserved communities. Healthcare leaders shared their experiences providing care to homeless people, patients with limited English proficiency and older adults at this year’s ATA conference. A J.D. Power study found telehealth delivered increased customer satisfaction outpacing other healthcare services. Health Tech Magazine shares more here.
Using Telehealth as a Safe Space for LGBTQ+ Students
Mental health is a long-neglected issue in pediatric populations, with those who are most vulnerable often lacking access to support or care. The pandemic has only contributed to this gap, leading to an increase in mental health symptoms, diagnoses and crises. Students who are at higher risk for mental health concerns, including LGBTQ+ students, should have equitable access to confidential healthcare. Read more from Hool News here.
Having equitable telehealth available for all individuals is an obligation in a post-pandemic world. Policymakers should ensure a more robust evaluation of telehealth that addresses disparities in underserved communities. Visit our equity and telehealth initiative to learn more and consider becoming a VTN member to access webinars, additional resources and other members-only content.