Recent Telehealth Trends, Insights and News - July 2023
Virtual care models and climate change, telehealth after COVID-19, and Biden's mental health pledge
Technology, Insights and News
4 Principles to Guide Your Digital Health Strategy
According to the American Hospital Association, seeing a doctor quickly and finding appointments that fit their schedule are the top consumer concerns, while providers overwhelmingly (87%) cited lower staffing levels that impact service as their greatest pain point. AHA put together 4 principles with key takeaways that should guide your digital health strategy based on recent market findings
Read the full AMA article here >>
Telehealth Proves Successful For Opioid Use Disorder Treatment
Ophelia, a virtual care provider, found that 56% of its OUD patients remained in treatment for six months and 48% stayed for one year. Additionally, retention rates were significantly higher than traditional in-person care thanks to the reduction of geographic and scheduling constraints as all other care challenges.
Read the full Healthcare IT News article here >>
Policy and Regulatory Updates
Pen Testing As a Key Component For HIPAA Compliance
In this HIMSS TV interview, Senior Editor, Andrea Fox and Managing Director at NetSPI, Chad Peterson, talk about the “unwritten requirement” that can help healthcare organizations protect their ePHI.
Watch the full HIMSS TV interview here >>
ATA and ATA Action Respond To CMS CY2024 Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rule
The most recent proposed policy changes for CY2024 Physician Fee Schedule, “clearly indicate CMS’ continued interest in providing access to telehealth services for Medicare beneficiaries, acknowledging that both audiovisual and audio-only telehealth services ‘have enabled individuals in rural and underserved areas to have improved access to care,’” said Kyle Zebley, senior vice president, public policy, the ATA, and executive director, ATA Action.
These proposed policies would again extend further telehealth flexibilities until the end of 2024 in alignment with those extended in the Omnibus bill at the end of 2022.
Read the full ATA press release here >>
Biden Pledges ‘Mental Health Care Is Health Care’ With New Rule Ensuring Mental Health Parity In Insurance Coverage
Last week, President Biden announced a proposed rule requiring payers “to make sure people have equivalent access between their mental health and medical benefits,” with the goal of improving Americans’ quality and coverage of mental health services. The proposed rule would reinforce 2008’s Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) by requiring insurance providers to update health plans.
Read the full CNN Politics article here >>
Industry Conversations
Where Telehealth Stands After COVID-19
While telehealth has seen a slight slip in use since the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s still seeing more widespread adoption than prior to the pandemic. According to health professionals, the future of telehealth looks like hybrid-care–where virtual care and in-person care meet.
Read the full Becker’s Hospitals Review article here >>
Blue Shield Of California: Virtual Care Models Critical Amid Changing Climate
In an effort to find solutions to our worsening climate situation, Blue Shield of California released a July whitepaper on the adoption of virtual care models to build climate resilience and reduce carbon emissions. Read on for the five key takeaways from the study and access to the full whitepaper.
Read the full Becker’s Payer Issues article here >>
Growth and Innovation
Payer Business is Talkspace’s ‘Largest and Most Profitable Growth Opportunity’
Talkspace has more than doubled its B2B payer session within the last year and turned their revenue composition upside down. Nearly three-quarters of its revenue for Q2 of 2023 came from B2B sales. These changes have allowed the company to become cash flow positive for the first time since they went public in 2021. Read on to learn more about Talkspace’s growth in the B2B payer space.
Read the full Behavioral Health Business article here >>
Women’s Health Startups Graduate from PharmStars Digital Health Accelerator
Several digital health startups focused on women’s health have graduated from PharmStars health accelerator program. This year's program theme was “Innovations in Women’s Health or Health Equity” and focused on startups looking to address gaps in women’s health care. Each graduate had a one-on-one meeting with pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer, Roche and Novo Nordisk.
Read the full MedCity News article here >>
OpenLoop News and Resources
Scaling Your Telehealth Business: Navigating HIPAA and CPOM Compliance
Whether you’re entering the telehealth market or looking to scale your telehealth company, navigating HIPAA and CPOM compliance can be a logistical nightmare. In this whitepaper, we breakdown the regulatory and compliance safeguards and frameworks every telehealth company needs to scale their services successfully.
Download the full whitepaper here >>
Multi-State Clinician Licensing: What to Know About Licensure Compacts
Obtaining multi-state licensure can be very time consuming. Each state’s licensing requirements, application processes and scope of practices vary–and depending on the state, this could mean a 60-day to 4 month waiting period for each license. This is where a licensing compact comes in. Read on to learn more about what IMLC compacts are and how they can streamline your multi-state licensing.
Read the full OpenLoop blog here >>
How to Scale Your Telehealth Business (Successfully)
Establishing yourself in the digital health market can be daunting, and while you conquered the first hurdle (launching), we’re here to give you the tools you need to make it scalable. From the technology platform you use, to winning payer contracts and diversifying your clinician network, we’ll set you up to start scaling successfully. Let’s get started.