New Bill Aims To Boost Medicare Access To Chronic Care Services

New legislation aims to eliminate the cost-sharing requirement for Medicare beneficiaries to get chronic care management services and reimburse providers for 100% of the payment.

VA will pause EHR deployments through at least 2021, department says

The Department of Veterans Affairs will not deploy its new electronic health record to additional sites over the next six months, after a recent strategic review found a wide array of problems at the first go-live site in Spokane, Washington.

CMS Proposes to Cover Mental Health Virtual Visits Through 2022

CMS proposes expanding access to telehealth for behavioral healthcare, including for the first time allowing Medicare to pay for mental health virtual visits when they are provided by rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers and letting providers offer audio-only telehealth visits for certain services.

Lawmakers Concerned Over Transparency For VA's $16B EHR Funding

Lawmakers have voiced their concern about the budget management of the Department of Veterans Affairs IT modernization initiative, according to a July 1FedScoopreport. The VA intended on using $670 million from its transformation fund to supplement its $4.8 billion proposed IT budget for fiscal year 2022. 

Interoperability Now Needs To Go Beyond EHRs to Include the Larger Digital Health Ecosystem

The next step in the evolution of interoperability will involve examining data flows in digital healthcare, according to panelists at the American Telemedicine Association's annual conference. This includes looking into how data sharing will support telehealth, remote patient monitoring and programs involving wearables.

Management of Individuals With Multiple Chronic Conditions: A Continuing Challenge

The prevalence of individuals with multiple chronic conditions continues to increase. Evidence-based modifications to care delivery processes can help to improve care management effectiveness.

Telehealth Advances, Mental Health Focus Are Changes Worth Keeping

Advancements—in telehealth, in stress reduction, in medical education and in renewed attention to public health infrastructure, to name just four areas—can improve the health of our nation. Building on the progress we’ve made means returning to a better normal, not just a new one. 

HHS: ACA Exchange, Medicaid Expansion Coverage Reaches Record 31M

A record 31 million people have gotten coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) thanks to growth in Medicaid expansion and the insurance marketplaces, a new report finds.

Biden administration officials used the report released Saturday by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to highlight efforts to expand coverage on the ACA’s marketplaces and in Medicaid, including increased marketplace subsidies passed in...

Family Healthcare Costs Decreased Last Year for First Time in Milliman Report's 16-Year History

The annual cost of healthcare for a family of four was $26,078 in 2020, 4.2% lower than the year prior based on Milliman's projections. In fact, all categories Milliman examined — except for one, pharmacy costs — were lower year over year.

The Case for Optimism in Post-COVID Chronic Care Management

The COVID-19 pandemic effectively taught healthcare professionals, and their patients, how to do chronic care management remotely, which boosts convenience and thus engagement.