News Archive

Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School are taking part in an NIH-funded study to evaluate the use of telehealth in advance care planning for patients receiving home-based palliative care.

While 2020 incited widespread adoption of video-based consultations, the healthcare ecosystem is now presented with a new mandate of delivering virtual care at scale. Fortunately, there are some companies up to the task.

Telehealth can facilitate access to care, reduce risk for transmission of SARS-CoV-2, conserve scarce medical supplies, and reduce strain on health care capacity and facilities while supporting continuity of care.

During June 26–November 6, 2020, 30.2% of weekly health center visits occurred via telehealth. Telehealth visits declined as the number of new COVID-19 cases decreased but plateaued as the number of cases increased. Health centers in the South and rural areas consistently reported the lowest average percentage of weekly telehealth visits

The Emergency Broadband Benefit will provide a discount of up to $50 per month towards broadband service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on Tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if they contribute $10-$50 toward the purchase price.

The Emergency Broadband Benefit is limited to one monthly service discount and one device discount per household.

Behavioral health — like other areas of health care — has changed significantly due to the COVID-19 public health emergency. It is now easier for mental health providers to offer and get reimbursed for telebehavioral health services. Telehealth can also make behavioral health services safer and more private and convenient for patients who can access care from their home.

This notice announces the opportunity to apply for funding under the Evidence Based Telehealth Network Program (EB THNP). The two-fold purpose of this award is (1) to demonstrate how health networks can increase access to health care services utilizing telehealth technologies and (2) to conduct evaluations of those efforts to establish an evidence base for assessing the effectiveness of telehealth care for patients, providers, and payers.
The implementation of telehealth technology is rapidly expanding into health systems.1 HRSA defines telehealth as the use of electronic information and telecommunication technologies to support and promote long-distance clinical health care, patient and professional health-related education, public health and health administration. Telehealth modalities that support clinical treatment may include video conferencing, the internet, store-and-forward imaging, streaming media, and terrestrial and wireless communications. Rising evidence supports that many health conditions can be addressed with a virtual in home visit from a doctor to his or her patient.2 In 2015, the American College of Physicians declared their position and support for Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) considering the patient has an established relationship with the providers, and the care meets in person standards of quality