Category Archives: Telemedicine

Medical Marijuana Bill Gets Support from Florida Governor Rick Scott

In the U.S, Telemedicine and Medical marijuana have long been used to treat certain health conditions. However, for the last five years, the two non-traditional approaches have gained considerable traction in the healthcare arena. In fact, some states have chosen to prevent the use of telemedicine to prescribe medical marijuana as a treatment for patients with serious medical conditions.

Last week, the Florida lawmakers passed legislation to extend the use of cannabis to residents who suffer severe pain that meets specific qualifying conditions. However, one line specifies that any patient who wants to be certified for medical cannabis cannot do so through virtual visits.

Under the new bill to be signed into law by Governor Scott, patients ought to be in the same physical location as the doctor during checkup to determine whether they are eligible for medical marijuana.

These restrictions didn’t happen overnight. Last year, the Florida Board of Medicine signaled an interest to stop doctors from using telemedicine technology for medical cannabis. In December, the Board issued an amendment to proposed telemedicine regulations to pinpoint the restriction on the use of medical marijuana.

It’s quite difficult for states to legalize cannabis because of the patchwork of federal, state, and local laws involved as well as the state-by-state nature of telemedicine laws. For instance, California was the first state to legalize the use of medical cannabis, and better still doesn’t forbid the use of telemedicine to acquire the substance. Colorado, being one of the most liberal states in the nation for legalizing the use of marijuana, for medical or recreation purpose, requires an in-person examination before any virtual visit to get medical marijuana.

One startup is offering telemedicine visits explicitly for marijuana prescription. HelloMD, a service known for employing telemedicine to connect individuals with physicians willing and able to prescribe medical cannabis, lately raised over a million dollars through equity crowdfunding on SeedInvest.

Passing the Telemedicine Chronic Kidney Disease Improvement Research and Treatment Act 2017

About 15% of the adult population is suffering from chronic kidney disease. Some of them suffer from kidney failure, and some are on dialysis. Many of them, however, have already gone through a kidney transplant and they have to go through regular checkups.

Telemedicine is expected to offer a better solution to the patients. The National Kidney Foundation stated that telemedicine provides a better and promising medical alternative to the in-person health care and those in particular delivered at dialysis clinics or doctor’s office. Physicians can monitor the patient’s conditions like blood pressure and other important signs and give them medical adherence and diet plans without having to meet them face to face.

Nurses can, as well, coordinate medical care online with the patient’s care provider and interact with the patient from home. This offers on-demand care between the regularly scheduled office visits. Telemedicine is being termed as a step in the right direction to understand the disease better and find a cure.

The passing of the bill is aimed at improving the lives of the patients suffering from kidney problems. This will be achieved by identification of any transplantation barriers and improving the donation rates. It will also allow the patients to retain the access to private insurance and promote the access to home treatment for those undergoing dialysis.

H.R.2644 is trying to understand the way kidney disease progresses and its reaction to kidney failure treatment in the minority populations. This will help to improve access to treatment for individuals from the under-served rural and urban areas.

The bill also includes;

• National Academy of Sciences to study the Medicare’s cost and payment structure for the dialysis services which include analyzing if there are any adjustments required to advance the development of new therapies.
• Enhance access to home dialysis treatments through telehealth for the patients with end-stage renal disease
• Reduce Medicare restrictions and allow patients to receive treatment from home

CHRONIC Care Act also includes the provision of more and better home dialysis facilities without any limitation. CHRONIC Care Act will expand remote monitoring programs for people suffering from chronic conditions and give the Health and Human Services Department a way to reduce telehealth barriers hence increasing quality and effectiveness of the services.

Texas Law Marks a Turning point in Health Care

Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill that is meant to change the face of telemedicine in the state. With the bill, doctors can now utilize telemedicine services with patients they have not met. This eliminates the previous requirement that the doctor-patient relationship had to be established by an in-patient visit first.

According to Politico, Texas was the last state to still hold onto this need. Now that it has been eliminated, direct-to-consumer telemedicine dealers can now expand their services across the nation. However, there are still limitations on the phone call-based telemedicine in Arkansas and Idaho. The signing of the bill is good news for companies like Teladoc, MDLive, Doctor on Demand and American Well.

The telehealth provider in this State knows as Teladoc is especially cheering this victory as it has been battling with Texas Medical Board for the past six years regarding the issue of telemedicine in Lone Star State. They took the responsibility to preserve telemedicine in the state for more than six years since 2001, and they are gratified to have finally been invited to collaborate with the Texas legislature to accomplish the goal of offering treatment through computers and phones. They are looking forward to showing the nation their video capabilities and end their legal dispute in Texas.

This step is expected to resolve the Texas Medical Board issues with Teladoc and provide people with a means to secure their path to quality, affordable and easily accessible health care. The bill passage is also a win for the Texas’ residents especially those living in rural areas. They do not have to travel all the way to the city searching for health care.

There are potential telehealth patients from all over Texas as everyone will take advantage of this opportunity to get health care from home. This will open the doors to a more convenient health care plan. However, supporters are hoping that its convenience will promote a follow-up by doctors through audiovisual methods. People should understand that this technology is not meant to replace doctors rather it is there to make health care accessible to all.

New legislation spells good news for patient care in Vermont. State Senate Bill S.50 expands insurance coverage for telemedicine services. This is especially helpful to patients who live in areas where specialists are rare or in short supply.

Currently, only telemedicine sessions that take place between two healthcare facilities are eligible for coverage. This act extends this coverage to encompass telemedicine sessions between a patient’s workplace or home and the providing healthcare facility.

Specific Provising in Vermont Senate Bill S.50

The new law directs the Vermont Department of Health Access (VHA) to ensure telemedicine services reimbursement for both the hosting facility and the treating medical provider. Exceptions apply if the clinicians at both ends of the session work for the same facility.

The bill also enacts the following provisions:

• Insurance payers must treat these services the same as they do in-person medical visits between their insurance beneficiary and a medical care provider.
• Insurers may require co-pays, deductibles, and coinsurance for telemedicine appointments, but they may not charge more for these services than they do for in-person medical visits.
• Store-and-forward technology provided teledermatology and teleophthalmology is reimbursible.
• Remote health care clinicians may be required to document the purposes for using store and forward options.
• Payers may request explanations for the use of telemedicine from the provider.
• Providers may not set maximums on telemedicine visits.
• Telemedicine use is expanded to a larger base of licensed, certified, or otherwise legally authorized health professionals.

In addition to expanding access to specialty medical care, the law also has potential benefits for mental health treatment. It allows patients in hospital emergency departments who are combating a mental health crises to connect with psychiatric services from the hospital. This real-time care may facilitate a quicker return home and decrease the need for psychiatric hospitalizations.

Vermont Governor Phil Scott signed the bill on June 7. The new law is set to take effect on October 1, 2017. This legislation applies to all health insurance companies proving coverage in Vermont, including Medicaid. Many see this as a positive step forward in expanding healthcare coverage and access without substantially raising costs.

Serving the southern counties of Maine and some parts of New Hampshire, York Hospital is consistently looking for innovative ways to improve patient care. The latest addition to the small hospital is a virtual care platform. In development since 2004, the telehealth platform gives patients an alternative option for accessing care. From the comfort of their home, via video and audio, a patient can speak directly to a doctor.

Using SnapMD, the hospital configured its telehealth platform to allow patients to make an appointment, register, and check-in for $49. Once a patient meets with a doctor, if in-person care is recommended, no fee is charged. Ideal for treating minor ailments, the platform is not meant to prevent a patient from accessing physical care if necessary. If a patient is bleeding uncontrollably, experiencing chest pain and shortness of breath, etc., the patient will be immediately told to contact emergency medical treatment.

Set up in an exam room, the virtual platform has already been used over a dozen times. Throughout these visits, several issues were encountered. Determining which web browser works the best, helping a patient with audio or video issues, etc. were all experienced. Glitches, bugs, and other issues were continuously worked through and the platform was repeatedly improved.

Containing a keyboard, two video screens, instruments, reference guides, and a York Hospital banner, the exam room harboring the telehealth system was designed to look as familiar as possible. Accessible to anyone with an electronic device, with video and audio capabilities, virtual doctor visits are by appointment only. Administrators are working on making the platform available to businesses, campgrounds, and hotels during the summer tourist season.

One of many hospitals throughout the country adding telehealth services to their roster, York Hospital now offers the additional care option to all area residents and visitors. The exciting new platform paves the way for increased efficiently and more effective patient care. York Hospital hopes this small step forward will lead to other technology-based initiatives. Further modernization of the hospital will enhance, widen, and improve both patient access and care.

When is the last time you felt bad or you hurt yourself, and just did not feel like heading to the doctor’s office or ER? Then you sit there for another one or two hours before you see the doctor.

On May 12, 2017, the Texas State Legislature passed SB 1107, this piece of legislature opens the door for telemedicine in the Lone Star State changing prior Texas law which allows physicians in Texas to use telemedicine to establish a valid physician-patient relationship without the need for an in-person exam.

WHAT IS TELEMEDICINE?

Telemedicine or Telehealth is the delivery of healthcare services and clinical information using the Internet, wireless, satellite and telephone media in Real-time live interaction between a health professional and patient or between physicians.

According to Evisit “More accessible, convenient healthcare for patients is the driving force behind the telemedicine field. Telemedicine was originally developed in the U.S. as a way to address care shortages, especially in remote rural areas”.

ADVANTAGES OF SB 1107

Texas is a big state with lots of outlying rural areas. Once, Governor Abbot signs SB 1107 into law; it will be a benefit to these areas, with easier access to healthcare. The disabled that have a hard time getting to the doctor will benefit. American Telemedicine Association tells us that it will create value for the payers, and providers and reduce the cost structure.

INSURANCE AND TELEMEDICINE

The National Law Review states that “Texas is among the majority of states to have enacted a telehealth commercial insurance coverage law. Texas’ coverage law prohibits a health plan from excluding a telemedicine service from coverage solely because the service is not provided through a face-to-face consultation”.

With the passing of the Texas State Legislature SB 1107, a precedence will be set opening the door for other states. Leave it to Texas to bring back the old practice of a house call with a new twist via the internet.

With US lawmakers attempting to repeal Obamacare, or the Affordable Healthcare Act, some women fear that their access to birth control may become limited. However, a new startup named Nurx (pronounced “NewRX”) is hoping to dash these fears away with their online birth control prescribing and shipping service. Essentially, Nurx is attempting to do to birth control what companies like 1-800 Contacts did for contacts.

Signing up and getting started on Nurx is incredibly simple. The user just downloads the free Nurx app and signs up for their free account. After the user has an account, the user just fills out a simple questionnaire that includes a few medical history questions, enters into a text-chat with a licensed doctor and is then prescribed their birth control. Not long afterward, the user is shipped a package that includes the user’s birth control method. Another really helpful aspect of Nurx’s system is that after the prescription is written, the user is then able to send messages to Nurx’s doctors if they have any medical questions. More importantly, for many people with insurance, this entire process is free, as Nurx does not include any delivery fees and does not charge for the initial consultation. This is a far cry from some of their birth control delivery competitors like PRJKT Ruby which charges $20 per month for their service

However, prospective users must keep in mind that Nurx is not able to deliver to every state. Currently, they are able to deliver to Washington, New York, Washington D.C., Illinois, Virginia, Pennsylvania and California. However, this is a feat as Nurx only employs 20 people and 5 doctors and was only established a year ago. Regardless of the Nurx’s age, it is gaining capital thanks to the fees that they charge the independent pharmacies that fill their prescriptions and a $5.2 million investment made by Union Square Ventures. With this said, if access to birth control tightens, businesses like Nurx are bound to encounter an increase in business.

Telehealth virtual visits are a hot topic and very high priority in hospital systems such as Kaiser Permanente. Many health systems are prioritizing telehealth as a technology option that can help the hospital contain costs while expanding their patient base.

Practitioners are realizing the old fee-for-service system isn’t working and continues to increase problems in a failing health care system. This type of health system was built around episodic care, in which people only entered into the system when hurt or sick. This also does very little to nothing to incorporate preventive care in regular patient visits.

As Bernard Tyson, Kaiser Permanente CEO, stated at a recent event, “We’re reimagining medical care.” These hospitals are aggressively investing technology to support telehealth for doctors and patients. Many of the hospital systems have used telehealth virtual visits as a way to make patient education and preventive care a top initiative rather than treating an illness when it occurs. Telehealth virtual visits, improve patient experience by offering convenient options for dealing with minor health issues.

Kaiser Permanente recently reported, 95% of its members are covered on a capitated basis, meaning that Kaiser Permanente is paid a monthly member fee to take care of a patient’s full range of healthcare needs. Members like the convenience of being able to get minor ailments looked at or get test results outside the doctor’s office.

Hospital systems can expand its patient base by offering telehealth virtual visits. Clinicians report these virtual visits allow them to see more patients for preventive care which ultimately reduce hospital cost. Telehealth virtual visits prove to be a big help for patients. In the old system, patients have to carve out a big part of their day for a visit, now they receive test results and follow-up visits in a fraction of the time.

Baby boomers are becoming seniors and retirees. Telemedicine providers plan to take full advantage of the need of these new seniors to stay independent and unencumbered. As telehealth and mHealth technology grows, remote patient monitoring options are becoming more robust.

Providers continue to develop innovations when it comes to providing care for seniors. This includes many developers taking advantage of mobile technology to add another element or dimension to telemedicine.

A good example of this comes from developers of mobile personal emergency response services, or mPERS. These applications would sit and wait for a problem to happen, and for someone to push a button. Software developers are actively working to improve these applications by making them full, real-time health monitoring devices and software.

One such developer, MobileHelp, intends to make their offerings more social in nature. The goal is to give baby boomers the ability to have a hub for all their wellness activities, not just an emergency device.

Large and small companies are pushing, or developing, telemedicine platforms and connectivity solutions. There’s various players in telemedicine, but they’re not all moving in the same direction. For example, GreatCall aims to bring health monitoring into every aspect of the home.

In this way, daily living will generate a constant data stream of habits and movements that tie into health. This type of passive monitoring can pick out trends and spikes. This can help seniors and their caregivers to fine-tune their diets, activities, and other aspects of daily living.

The main goal of all these innovations and plans is to make value-based care the norm. This type of care has a focus on the patient. It removes the fee-based method of always doing more to increase profits, as in more tests, more screenings, more doctor visits just to talk, etc.

Better, more focused care, can lead to fewer doctor visits and lower costs. For the more independent baby boomers, this approach, coupled with technology they’re familiar with, will create a new age of home-based care.

Telemedicine is a fast growing innovation in the health care industry. It is changing the way people seek and get medical advice, diagnoses, and prescriptions. Many patients are turning to telemedicine for timely, safe and efficient online health care services. It’s other benefits include:

Productivity
Unlike a doctor’s office or emergency room, with telemedicine, there is no waiting for an appointment in a room full of other sick people. Employees do not have to take time off work for time-consuming doctor’s appointments. You can simply schedule a doctor’s session during a break, or before or after work. Ability to stay healthy and engaged in health care through telemedicine enables employees to save time and give more at their workplaces.

Convenience
People don’t have to get frustrated waiting for slots to become available or arrange childcare to cover their appointments as they can access immediate appointments that suit them. With telemedicine, people can do away with routine stuff with just a phone call, e-mail or with video-conferencing from their office or comfort of their homes.

Affordability
Managing the rising cost of healthcare is a top priority for many. Telemedicine has helped to ease the situation by reducing expenses of caring for patients, transporting them to another location, or keeping them out of hospital stay. It is by far a cheaper option for supporting tight budgets as telemedicine users have the ability to get a single flat rate for each visit which gives patients predictability and transparency in cost.

Control
The beauty of telemedicine is that it gives patients a sense of control as one can access services regardless of where they are. With reliable and accessible services, telemedicine greatly decreases any additional mental or emotional strain that is experienced by patients when they cannot receive treatment at a time when they need to.

As health care continues to evolve and consumers become increasingly engaged in getting much of their medical information on-demand, telemedicine will continue to be an answer to patients’ needs.