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For years, the United States has been experiencing an acute shortage of mental health professionals. Despite this shortage, the need for more accessible and effective mental health care continues to increase especially with the rise of opioid addiction epidemic particularly in the rural areas. Throughout the country, many of those who need mental health care have difficulties accessing it or choose not to seek help for fear of social stigma associated with mental illness. But according to a new report on telemental health, things are changing; there has been a significant growth in the use of telemedicine particularly among the Medicaid beneficiaries in the rural areas.

The report, however, indicates that this growth has been rather uneven across the population. The authors of the report led by Ateev Mehrotra, a professor of health policy at Harvard, noted that although there was rapid nationwide growth in mental health use among rural Medicaid beneficiaries, the use was not even in the population. For instance, between 2004 and 2014, the growth among beneficiaries with any mental health problem averaged at 45.1 per year while growth among beneficiaries with serious mental health conditions averaged at 49.3% per year.

The report also pointed to a signification variation from state to state. There were at least 25 visits per 100 beneficiaries in 9 states. The DC and four other states had no visits in the entire sample. The report did not cite the cause of the variation between states, but it did note that states with A-rating from the American Telemedicine Association with regards to the regulatory environment and those with telemedicine parity laws had higher rates of use.

The report also noted that there was significant variation in terms of the health professionals the mental health patients are visiting. 65.3% visited psychiatrists, 99.9% visited nurse practitioners, while 8.8 consulted clinical psychiatrists.

What is more interesting about the report is that it indicates that 87.3 of those who use telemental health also make in-person visits. This is worrying to those who have been arguing that telemedicine avails mental health service to those living in communities without such care. Indeed, only 12.7 use telemental healthcare exclusively. To this end, it is apparent that telemental health is complementing the in-person visit care.

In conclusion, the report recommends that any future payment policy for emerging health technology must insist on encouraging high-value care because in telemedicine, for instance, low-value care could be overshadowed by convenience.

Following an audit of Emory Healthcare’s telemedicine platform for its intensive care unit, Emory Healthcare saved around $4.6 million in Medicare expenses while simultaneously reducing post-discharge care and readmissions.

The results have followed a 15-month audit by Abt Associates of the eICU program deployed by Emory Healthcare based in Atlanta, Georgia. The program served more than 20,000 patients in this time frame in five hospitals.

“These independent findings verify that our innovative approach to addressing a highly variable, complex patient population – those in the critical care unit – improves patient outcomes, allowing them to leave the ICU healthier, thereby reducing the need for patients and their families to have extended rehab stays or be readmitted,” said Timothy Buchman, director of Emory Healthcare’s Critical Care Center, in a recent press release.

The Royal Philips telemedicine platform that Emory Healthcare uses provides critical care to 136 patients in five hospitals. In the audit, this system was compared to nine other Atlanta-area hospitals. Findings show:

• $1,486 reduction on average in Medicare costs over 60-day stay, adding to $4.6 million in 15 months;
• 4.9 percent less discharges to home healthcare;
• 6.9 percent less discharged to long-term care and skilled nursing facilities;
• 2.1 precent less readmission within 60 days.

In the press release, Manu Varna, business leader at Philips Wellcentive and Hospital to Home, says the findings conclude increased stability with reduced complications even after a patient discharged from ICU.

A similar eICU study at UMass showed 21 percent higher case volume and 376 percent higher contribution margins. Tele-ICU programs owe their success to an increased patient volume and higher quality care. The tele-ICU programs combined with a logistical center studied thus far indicate:

• 38 percent higher case volume
• 665 percent improved contribution margin

Emory Healthcare tried a new spin on eICU by partnering with Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia this past fall through spring, creating a network spanning two continents. This allowed clinicians to cover Emory’s eICU nighttime shifts while it was daytime in Australia and on weekends.

This helped test theories that quality of care drops during off hours when clinicians are not fully awake and thriving. The second theory is that off-hours shifts are typically covered by younger and less-experienced clinicians that lack seniority to avoid inconvenient hours. Studies have indicated that both these theories are valid.

Emory Healthcare should release results of this recent partnering soon.

Telehealth continues to grow and flourish in the country today. The FDA is now approving remote tools to diagnose the patient and help manage conditions aimed at delivering a specific outcome. While there are a lot of advancements being made, the industry is still pretty new when you compare it to the Internet services industry.

As Internet speeds continue to soar, it is going to cause entire industries to be upended. Because the telehealth industry is maturing, there is going to be a major shift in how healthcare is being delivered.

Telehealth platforms will continue evolving with the times and pave the way to bigger and better things. This is often referred to as one of the best ways for those living in a rural area to get the medical care they need. However, it isn’t that telehealth itself creates new doctors of gives physicians more time to spend with patients.

Unfortunately, physicians will probably still find themselves running from one patient to the next. Telehealth is simply allowing these physicians to treat more individuals than what they did before. It is just going to be a race from one virtual room to the next.

Unfortunately, telehealth services isn’t going to magically increase the number of doctors available. There will still be shortages out there. The platform is just aimed at leveraging the expertise of the physicians and specialists without making it as costly. It also minimizes the amount of hands-on contact required for the physician.

Telehealth services are aimed at bringing different facets of the treatment and diagnoses process together to help promote the health and well-being of all patients.

While there are still a few things to work out, telehealth platforms are helping many take advantage of quality medical care that might not otherwise have been available to them. It is aimed at helping others get the treatment they need, regardless of where they might live or how rural the area might be.

It used to be that veterans weren’t able to get the quality care they needed, but that is about to change. The Veterans Affairs Department recently started looking into ways they can improve overall care for those living in rural areas with chronic or severe conditions. In January 2017, a telehealth collaborative study surveyed roughly 800 veterans living in Georgia and Texas with some form of human immunodeficiency virus. They want to make sure that veterans are able to gain access to HIV testing and care, regardless of whether they live in the city or out in the country.

When you compare the treatment veterans received in rural care to that of those in the city, the level of care isn’t even close. In fact, those who live in rural areas don’t receive the best treatments and often have a lower survival rate. All of that needs to change. Because Alaska has a lower population overall, they don’t have a lot of HIV patients there. However, that doesn’t mean that they still don’t need the level of care that other areas provide. With smaller communities, the options available are almost non-existent.

The VA currently has roughly 50 telehealth specialties. During 2016 alone, roughly 700,000 veterans went to a total of 2,000,000 telehealth appointments. That’s a lot of people being served in just one year alone. Based on studies, roughly 18 percent of the 24,000 veterans undergoing treatment for HUV infections live in one of the rural areas in the US. Those individuals have limited access to the level of care they need to treat their disease.

The level of care in each state varies. With the help of telehealth, patients are able to gain access to the level of care needed. This system is going to help patients manage their chronic diseases both in face and via video. The key is getting the provider the information needed to treat the patient in the quickest manner possible.

The future of Medicaid looms in the balance, leaving lawmakers struggling to focus on how they can improve telemedicine access. Telemedicine could help reduce the costs of healthcare by allowing all of the providers in one location the ability to treat those elsewhere in the country.

Since the state Medicaid plan is now able to cover telemedicine to a certain extent, it is paving the way for healthcare. It used to be that only 24 states offered this type of coverage in 2005, but now, all states are participating in the program.

There are also other trends that are on the rise, such as added dental services and even more options for patients needing care. In short, the situation looks rather promising when you look at everything being done right now. Providers and employers alike are able to use telemedicine to get patients the treatment needed.

Insurance companies, Medicaid agencies and the state lawmakers are all looking at telemedicine as one of the more affordable solutions out there to help reduce the gap in coverage and deliver quality healthcare to patients.

Still, there are challenges that need to be addressed. That’s where the government needs to step in and help. Each state has their own specific set of regulations and standards that cause problems with being able to use telemedicine. Remote healthcare services in various states have shown to be not only cost-effective but effective in being able to deliver the level of services needed. These services aren’t often available to Medicaid beneficiaries, so this is taking things to a new level.

Even though practices and health systems are starting to offer better and more efficient services for patients, there is still a lot of confusion in the state variations. It is preventing consumer access and causing more problems. Because of these conflicts out there, it is causing problems for patients, health systems and providers and preventing them from being able to take advantage of telemedicine.

Virta Health is on a mission to reverse Type 2 Diabetes. The group was formed by leading scientists, technologists and doctors coming from Harvard, Stanford and MIT and backed by big name investors donating $37M to fund the project. Their approach to the project is using personalized nutrition, remote monitoring and one-on-one coaching aimed at being able to reverse the disease, instead of having to turn to surgery or medication.

It used to be that the only way to reverse diabetes was through bariatric surgery. This is the first time that people have an alternative available to them that isn’t costly, risky and not covered by insurance. The goal is to be able to completely reverse diabetes in 100M individuals by the time 2025 hits. While this might seem like a rather ambitious goal, they are dedicated to making it happen. Their motivation stems from the countless lives they have been able to change already.

The group consists of Inkinen, the co-founder and former president of Trulia, UC Davis Professor Dr. Stephen Phinney, bringing 40-years of nutritional biochemistry experience to the table and Dr. Jeff Volek, an Ohio State professor with 20-years of research on the effects physical activity and nutrition have on your health.

Their efforts have been focused on nutritional ketosis and carbohydrate intake where your body burns fat instead of glucose as its primary source of fuel. This eliminates the need for surgery or a bunch of harmful medications. This individualized approach could help lower hemoglobin levels as well.

While there is a lot that needs to be done, there is a lot of progress being made. During the clinical trial run, 87 percent of participants were able to reduce or eliminate their insulin dependence. Out of those individuals, 71 percent also lost 5 percent of their body weight, which is quite significant. If the findings continue down this path, it will only be a matter of time before they have a cure for all Type 2 Diabetes patients.

We are in the digital era, and the health sector is experiencing rapid technological progress. Modern technology is influencing the ease of accessing medical services. In the case of emergencies or accidents, technology has played a major role in determining how fast and effectively medical practitioners can respond. For instance, LiveHealth Online is virtue video diagnostic and treatment telehealth tool that allows patients to access the services of US-based board- certified doctors via a computers or Smartphone. Launched in 2013 LiveHealth Online provides treatments for patients suffering from minor ailments such as coughs, dermatitis, nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, and urinary tract infections among others.

By using LiveHealth Online, you can get your illness diagnosed treated and even be issued with a prescription. Most importantly, patients treated through the LiveHealth online platform are issued with a strict follow-up program to reduce chances of misdiagnosis or treatment failures.

According to a research done by Healthcore Inc, a company that uses real world data to provide clinical scientific expertise and research services to pharmaceutical and biotechnologists to determine comparative effectiveness of the healthcare systems and health economic outcomes, patients who had video visits with doctors via LiveHealth online had fewer hospitalizations and emergency departments’ visits within a 3 weeks period after their LiveHealth online telehealth visits. This was less than those who saw health care providers in urgent care clinics, emergency departments or doctor’s offices.

While Questions have been raised concerning the effectiveness of these services and whether doctors practicing virtually can appropriately treat illness in the absence of physical interaction with their patients, research has calmed the fears. Contrary to many people’s belief, Andrea DeVries, senior author of the study and vice-president of research at Healthcore, observes that telehealth treatments are effective in treating minor ailments especially among people who do not have chronic conditions.

LiveHealth online is the fastest growing telehealth service provider which embraces technology in treatment and evaluation of patients. LiveHealth online gives a chance for treatment and recovery for those patients unable to visit local healthcare providers with ease and urgency they deserve.

Texas became an even better place to live in March, 2017. The Texas Senate has finally approved Bill 1107. This means that the industry of telehealth will be available on a large scale throughout the state. Telemedicine has been disputed in courts and regulatory hearings for several years. The approval of bill 1107 marks the arrival of a comprise among legislators, providers, doctors and the insurance industry. Bill 1107 is the last in a long line of measures presented to the Texas senate, but the first to be approved by the senate and on its way to becoming state law.

Texas Senator Charles Schwertner, the chairman of health and human services drafted the legislation making it easier for people in Texas, particularly those in far-flung and rural areas to receive medical treatment.

Telemedical appointments were utilized almost two decades ago in the Texas prison system, saving the state hundreds of millions of dollars. Telemedicine has been practiced in several other states for many years.

The new law will provide medical services to 35 counties without practicing health providers of any sort. While 80 Texas counties only have a handful of available doctors. Consequently, placing Texas among the least medically state served in the United States.

Bill 1107’s approval will improve personal health and lower the costs of medical care in Texas. All rural Texans need now are access to a telephone or the internet, and the skills to search for a physician. Accessing prescriptions, treatment of common ailments and medical advice won’t mean expensive trips to urban areas. The measure is sure to save local and state level budgets money as telemedicine reduces overhead costs for many physcians, insurers and providers.

The Texas senate will continue to define the rules and regulations around the evolving industry of telemedicine. Licensing boards have an enormous task ahead in specifying what medical services are available through the growing industry of digital medicine.

When you go to the doctor’s office, you expect them to keep your information safe at all times. Medical professionals have a duty to protect your privacy, but that commitment to you isn’t as easy as it once was. With more and more providers converting to digital files, it isn’t always as easy to protect information. That’s where a healthcare kiosk can help keep that information safe.

Federal Laws Are Pushing Providers to Go Digital

HIPAA regulations are just one of the things pushing providers to digitize medical records and make them more secure and confidential. Once the provider takes medical records and digitizes them, it helps to modernize some of the other tools in the workplace, such as patient forms, payment transactions and insurance claims.

Because of this, many providers are now implementing healthcare kiosks to help handle all of that sensitive information, improve patient care and cut expenses. As patients arrive at the clinic or hospital, they can use one of these kiosks to check themselves in for an appointment, make a co-payment on their bill, register for services and much more. In turn, this helps to reduce the amount of time a patient has to wait and improve overall satisfaction. In fact, one of the hospitals using one of these kiosks was able to reduce the amount of time it took to check first-time patients in by 25% and 75% for a returning patient.

The physicians are able to use these kiosks to pull up electronic records and view the patient’s medical history, thus maximizing valuable face-to-face time. Because of how easily the provider can access the patient’s complete history, they can filter through the information and get the history they need without spending valuable time and man hours digging through paper files.

Because of the invention of these new health kiosks, it is making things simpler and less stressful for physicians everywhere. Patient information remains confidential and wait time is reduced all around.

Earlier this month the Ohio Medical Board passed two rules that enable physicians to issue prescriptions for both controlled and uncontrolled substances to their patients via telemedicine, rather than in-person at the doctor’s office, given they adhere to an extensive list of rules.

Ohio is another of several states to loosen laws regarding telemedicine to allow for further growth of virtual doctor visit platforms. Most states currently allowing the use of telemedicine for both doctors visits and prescribing medication require the patient to first meet the doctor in person, along with other several guidelines. However, in Ohio the physician must only meet the following criteria to prescribe non-controlled medications:

• Authenticate the patient’s location and identity;
• Obtain consent for remote exam treatments;
• With consent, forward medical records to the patient’s providers or refer the patient to a new provider or facility;
• Meet the minimal standard of care needed for the patient’s condition(s);
• Develop a treatment plan that includes documenting the need for the prescription drug and any contraindications to the treatment plan;
• Document in the patient’s record with all medical information, provided care, patient’s consent, and any referrals made to other providers;
• Recommend or provide any necessary follow-up care for the patient;
• Make the medical record of the visit available to the patient; and
• Use “appropriate technology sufficient for the physician to conduct the above as if the medical evaluation occurred during an in-person visit.”

While most states exclude physicians from prescribing controlled substances via telemedicine, Ohio’s new regulation permits prescribing of controlled substances to a patient located remotely from the provider in the following instances:

• The person is an “active patient” of one of the physician’s colleagues, and the substance is being prescribed through an on-call or cross-coverage arrangement;
• At the time of prescribing the patient is at a DEA-registered hospital or clinic;
• The patient is in the physical presence of and being treated by, an Ohio-licensed physician registered with the DEA;
• The practitioner has obtained a DEA special registration for telemedicine;
• The physician is the medical director, hospice physician, or attending physician for a “hospice program” or “institutional facility” licensed in Ohio and in either instance: the patient is enrolled in that hospice program or institutional facility and the prescription is transmitted to the pharmacy consistent with Ohio board of pharmacy rules.

Advocates for telemedicine note regulations from the federal Ryan Haight Act, which severely restrict when and where physicians can prescribe controlled medications. However, encouraged by the American Telemedicine Association, the DEA is expected to amend the Ryan Haight Act to create a special telemedicine registration for healthcare providers.