Each month, VTN highlights five articles sharing updates, announcements and the latest on telehealth in Virginia and beyond. This edition includes collaborative efforts in Southwest Virginia to increase access to telehealth, how virtual care may benefit the economy and legislative updates that will impact Medicare coverage.
Southwest Virginia Library Creates a Telehealth Office
Earlier this month, the Smyth County Public Library set up a private telehealth office at its Marion branch. Many patients who face obstacles can now access computers with the necessary hardware, high-speed internet and private space for telehealth. Read more about this new effort in SWVA Today.
New Bill Passed Extending Telehealth Beyond COVID-19
On July 27th, the House of Representatives passed a new act to extend Medicare coverage of telehealth services to December 31, 2024. Read more on how this bill passed with unanimous, bipartisan support in this post by the American Bar.
Investing in Services for At-Risk Groups
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal highlights the importance of investing in efforts, tools and technology to enhance telehealth services and shares how institutions across the U.S. are doing so. Mass General Brigham in Boston says it is investing in telehealth for at-risk groups, while the University of Kansas Health System is providing patients with limited incomes with tablets and hot spots to use. Read more on how health systems across the U.S. are taking initiative in telehealth.
Benefiting the Nation’s Economy
Reducing in-person physician visits with virtual appointments can benefit the economy by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and lost time and pay. Patients taking time off from work to go to in-person appointments lost $89 million in time between 2006 and 2017, according to a study by Altarum. Newsweek shares more on the many issues that telehealth can solve within our economy and advocates for telehealth reimbursement.
Audio-Only Exams Changes the Game at Michigan Hospital
Michigan Medicine’s Department of Urology recently began using audio-only appointments with success. This began as a study with a wide range of demographics, such as internet access, location, and financial status. The department has found these appointments to be successful with rural patients, but not without some hiccups. mHealth Intelligence has more on the study here.
VTN is working in partnership with Virginia Association of Free and Charitable Clinics, the University of Virginia Karen S. Rheuban Center for Telehealth, the Mid-Atlantic Telehealth Resource Center, and the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to launch the Virginia Telemental Health Initiative (VTMHI), a pilot program that aims to expand access to behavioral and mental health care across the Commonwealth. To learn more, visit virginiatelementalhealth.org.