Here are five important aspects that chief medical information officers must review.
The pandemic most certainly has opened new prospects for remote patient monitoring and telehealth, with CMS administrator Seema Verma too endorsing it as a “clear example of untapped innovation”.
With further boost to the program in the form of regulation waiver, virtual care and remote technologies are being actively pursued by hospitals and health systems to launch telehealth programs that will help them provide quality clinical care under the shadow of the pandemic.
However, the moot point is, will the technology continue to be in existence post pandemic.
Here are five important aspects that chief medical information officers must review.
There has been a significant increase of telehealth from 100,000 per week to 300,000 per week as of March 28, according to Ms. Verma. The numbers are likely to grow even further, but no permanent updates have been forthcoming from CMS about telehealth policies after the pandemic. Ms. Verma however asserted that the ‘genie’s out of the bottle on this one’, and according to her assessment the advent of telehealth has just been accelerated, pushing the program to ‘new frontiers’, as she noted adding ” there’s absolutely no going back.
Approving waivers for three COVID-19 telehealth program applications, the Federal Communication Commision has funneled $9.5 million to healthcare providers in 10 states. Amongst the hospitals that received the most funding for their projects, include New Orleans-based Ochsner Clinic Foundation that received $1 million for telehealth services and devices.for high-risk patients and populations, followed by NYU Langone Health in New York City, which received $988,772 for adding telehealth services in operating rooms and conference rooms.
Negotiations to purchase virtual therapy provider AbleTo for $470 million having been going on by Optum, which is a part of UnitedHealth Group. Focussing on mental health services, the New York-based telehealth company is increasingly being sought by users during the pandemic. Current Health is all set to receive investments from Rochester, Minn-based Mayo Clinic. The company specialises in remote patient management programs that can identify and assess treatment for COVID-19 patients. Globally, Current Health’s platform is being used by 40 health systems.
Business Insider quoted Epic founder and CEO Judy Faulkner’s observation that hospitals will continue promoting patient remote-monitoring and telehealth programs after the pandemic. Approximately 50 to 100 times increase in video visits by clients has been reported by Epic, in comparison to preceding months prior to the pandemic. Joining the virtual health program, Cerner assisted Macon Community Hospital in Lafayette, Tenn to establish its first virtual EHR go-live. Similarly, CVS through its retail MinuteClinics rolled out telehealth services in 33 states and Washington, D.C;
Virtual and remote technologies are increasingly being relied upon by hospitals and health systems to deliver enhanced clinical care. Even in the field of pacemaker technology, Columbus-based Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center used a technique to enable a technician to program the device during surgery without being physically present in the operating room. Another telemedicine technology being used by Mayo Clinic, includes facilitating 60 of its physicians to virtually accompany clinicians on COVID-19 rounds at NewYork-Presbyterian Lawrence Hospital in New York City. Robot technology is being put into use by Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, a robot that walks on four “legs” is being tested, featuring a screen, which can be deployed during video visits between clinicians and patients with less serious COVID-19 cases.
