As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to grow in the United States, demand for telehealth services has skyrocketed to the point where many systems have been overwhelmed. The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, for example, has endured more virtual patient requests than they can handle, while large systems like the Cleveland Clinic have seen a fifteenfold increase in telehealth visits over the course of a single week. As American systems respond to this surplus of demand, providers should be cognizant of new changes to the telehealth landscape and how to prepare their practices.

The U.S. Federal Government recently announced that they would temporarily expand “Medicare telehealth coverage that will enable beneficiaries to receive a wider range of healthcare services from their doctors without having to travel to a healthcare facility.” Clinicians are also going to be temporarily compensated to provide telehealth services for individuals across the entire country according to CMS. Previously, some clinicians were only paid for telehealth services under Medicare for specific circumstances which often made it difficult for individuals who lived further from a clinic to see a doctor and receive treatment. In the wake of this pandemic, government officials are seeing specifically how telehealth can improve doctor-patient treatment outside the clinic, all while avoiding extra cost an adding to the overcrowded hospitals.

Telehealth has been used previously, but in the wake of this pandemic, the benefits are starting to showcase themselves and the use of telehealth is surging. Telehealth can not only be used for online check-ins with patients, but it also allows doctors to provide advice, reminders, education, intervention, monitoring, and remote admissions. Medicare beneficiaries can now receive services through telehealth, including evaluation and management visits, mental health counseling, and preventive health screenings.

Telemedicine providers are experiencing incredible demand and a shortage of medical clinicians. As physicians seek to help, joining a telehealth provider like Amwell is a great way to support the national effort. Amwell is especially relevant for those in Emergency, Internal, Family, or General Medicine. There are other telehealth providers for different specialties as well. If your affiliated hospital or health system is already partnering with a telehealth provider, you may be eligible to start seeing patients through your organization’s existing telehealth app.

Several profound changes to telehealth practices have been enabled by the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act.

Origin Site:

Qualified providers to Medicare beneficiaries may provide service to any identified emergency area during an emergency period, breaking down state barriers that were previously in place. 

Services Offered Over the Phone:

Telehealth services may be provided to Medicare beneficiaries over the phone if the phone allows for audio-video interaction between provider and beneficiary. The patient must have been receiving Medicare services from the provider for three years before this service, and the patient must initiate service and give consent to virtual treatment. 

Medicare Payments:

Per the CMS, through designated ‘1135 Waiver’, “Medicare can pay for office, hospital, and other visits furnished via telehealth across the country and including in patient’s places of residence starting March 6, 2020.” Previously, this service applied to a limited range of possibilities, as the patient had to reside in a rural area, or had to travel to a clinic, hospital, or medical facility to receive virtual care. By cutting the red tape, more physicians, nurses, clinical psychologists, and licensed clinical social workers will be able to treat a larger patient body. Moreover, these virtual visits will be treated the same as in-person visits and will be paid at the same rate.

With this sudden increased surge in telehealth use, many doctors and medical professionals are wondering where to begin when shifting to practicing telehealth. To assist with this, there are courses being offered to those who wish to learn more about telehealth and what that practice would involve.  The course’s end goal is to have students effectively practice physical exams while outlining patient complaints via telehealth and incorporate their new knowledge further in their clinical practice. 

According to AMA, a good telehealth practice should:

• Set up a team that will help facilitate the expedited implementation of telemedicine services and be able to make decisions quickly to ensure launch as soon as possible.
• Check with your malpractice insurance carrier to ensure your policy covers providing care via telemedicine.
• Familiarize yourself with payment and policy guidelines specific to various telemedicine services.

AMA also urges medical practitioners to determine and develop a schedule when telehealth visits will be scheduled amongst other blocks of time devoted to other tasks.  Before a visit, it is still important to receive advanced consent and to properly document these visits in an existing EHR. 

As well as developing an organized schedule, it is key to have an organized work-space dedicated to only telehealth visits so that patients can have uninterrupted communication with their provider.

Overall, telehealth is a great option for clinicians who want to support in handling COVID-19 while benefiting from the flexibility and safety of working from home in these trying times.

While telehealth providers now enjoy the benefit of reduced restrictions on their practice, they must still comply with their own state telehealth laws and regulations, specifically state licensure. This means that continuing education courses and credits for individual state requirements are still mandatory. Individual state medical licensure boards may have extended license renewal dates, and it falls on the clinicians to track these changes while simultaneously adapting to the new telehealth landscape. The CE App can help you track these changes and ensure you are fully compliant with every state license you hold.

Read More: Delaware CME Requirements 2017, West Virginia CME Requirements, Minnesota CME Requirements 2017