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Aging Population Welcomes Telemedicine for Seniors

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Last winter, Medicare expanded its telemedicine coverage to make telestroke, dialysis, and home healthcare more accessible for seniors starting in 2020. Now, a recent poll shows that almost 9 out of 10 adults age 40 and over feel they would be comfortable using telemedicine for seniors in their families or for themselves—as long as the quality of care and health information privacy are as good as what they would get from an in-person visit. Read more

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VA Eliminates Licensure Barrier to Interstate Telemedicine

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As part of the new “Anywhere to Anywhere VA Health Care Initiative,” Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) providers will soon be able to provide telehealth services across state lines regardless of the state’s licensing rules. The goal is to create a national telemedicine network that can reach veterans in their homes or at locations outside VA hospitals. Effective June 11, the change is expected to increase access to care by making more clinicians available for appointments for patients in rural, remote, or medically underserved areas. Read more

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Home Telepsychiatry Reduces Anxiety, Saves Lives

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Telemedicine has often been touted as a solution for remote regions with physician shortages, but one area of medicine is finding that telemedicine brings unexpected benefits, even if the patient lives right around the corner. Home telepsychiatry brings psychotherapy to the patient and meets the patient’s needs where he/she is. In the process, the physician can gain invaluable insight into the patient’s living situation—insight that might otherwise take weeks to uncover during in-office therapy sessions. For instance, a patient once complained of a cluttered home; she turned out to be a hoarder. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has discovered especially intriguing results from using home telepsychiatry. Read more

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Telehepatology Can Bring Cancer Patients Home

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Home-based care—the most traditional type of health care—is making a comeback, especially for cancer patients. This is even more true for patients with hematologic malignancies, for whom there is no clear-cut distinction between the curative and end-of-life phases of disease. In an effort to keep patients comfortable and out of medical facilities, several hospitals have initiated Hospital at Home programs to provide a combination of acute, palliative, and hospice care needs. Some industry experts speculate that telehepatology may even join the mix. Read more

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Prenatal Telemedicine Simplifies Care

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Pregnancy isn’t an illness, but prenatal care in the U.S. typically involves 12 to 14 appointments during the 40-week term. Hopefully, these visits simply confirm that the mother and fetus are healthy. For low-risk expectant mothers, however, some of these appointments may be unnecessary, researchers say; the costs and inconvenience incurred—such as lost wages or child care—are not insignificant. At Mayo Clinic, a prenatal telemedicine program is easing the burden on low-risk mothers-to-be and their obstetric providers. Read more

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Diabetes Management and Telemedicine at Home

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Telemedicine holds untold potential for chronic disease management, but one of the largest areas of impact will likely be for diabetes management. According to the U.S. Pharmacopeia Medication Errors Reporting Program, roughly half of all drug errors involve insulin. Furthermore, studies reveal that more than 97% of insulin overdoses occur at home, and only 60% of patients with type 2 diabetes follow their prescribed medication regimen—many fearing an overdosage. These mishaps can lead to adverse drug events, hospitalizations, and staggering costs, all of which could be reduced by using the feedback mechanism made possible by using telemedicine at home. Read more

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“Smart Socks” Merge Physical Therapy and Telemedicine

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At first glance, the concept of physical therapy may not appear to lend itself well to telemedicine due to the physical nature of the specialty, but therapists and patients are finding that physical therapy and telemedicine work surprisingly well in certain situations—especially considering the convenience and low cost to patients. Now, a pair of “smart socks” may revolutionize telemedicine visits with physiotherapists and other such specialists. Read more

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New Budget Deal Boosts Telemedicine Coverage

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Earlier this month, President Donald Trump signed into law a bipartisan budget deal that impacts Medicare’s telemedicine coverage more than any past legislation, as described by one senator. After a brief government shutdown, Congress approved a two-year budget deal including parts of the Creating High-Quality Results and Outcomes Necessary to Improve Chronic (CHRONIC) Care Act, the Furthering Access to Stroke Telemedicine (FAST) Act, and the Increasing Telehealth Access to Medicare Act. Read more

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For Telemedicine, 5G Networks Hold Promise

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The recent speculation over whether the U.S. federal government might build a 5G network brings up an intriguing question: Does telemedicine need 5G networks? At first glance, the answer may appear to be a resounding “Yes” because most telemedicine systems require high-bandwidth networks in order to function reliably. However, a closer look at the current market suggests that a more cautious approach may be warranted. When it comes to telemedicine, 5G may not be a panacea after all—at least not today. Read more

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The Year Ahead in Healthcare Delivery

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In 2017, we watched the beginning of a trend toward value-based and patient-centered care, but where is healthcare delivery headed in the coming months? As 2018 unfolds, we at swyMed expect continued growth in patient-centered care, particularly in the following areas: Read more