A new report by a team of gastroenterology (GI) providers is citing that since the COVID-19 pandemic began, telehealth encounters are proving to be a highly effective option among GI providers and patients.
The report, “Gastroenterologists and Patients Report High Satisfaction Rates With Telehealth Services During the Novel Coronavirus 2019 Pandemic,” is based on two studies:
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Our partners at Huron Gastro, an adult medical gastroenterology practice with six locations around Ann Arbor, Michigan, recently presented “Telehealth: How to Check-In & Should We Check Out?” at a conference hosted by the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA).
Regulatory changes enacted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and private payers in March 2020 have provided better reimbursement and allowed for an enhanced care experience. These advancements, along with improved patient engagement solutions, lead a growing number of gastroenterology providers and patients to implement telehealth into their practices. GI joins the list of other medical specialties, including urology, endocrinology, and dermatology, finding telehealth to be effective in care delivery and reducing costs.
In the presentation, Huron Gastro’s Naresh T. Gunaratnam, M.D., AGAF, provided tips on how providers can best streamline virtual patient intake and care using telehealth and intake solutions (i.e., those solutions provided by Curago Health).
After nearly eight weeks, medical practices and clinics are finally starting to see restrictions being lifted on preventive care visits, chronic disease management and elective surgeries.
Amidst all the news about COVID-19 wreaking havoc on healthcare providers nationwide, I’ve been gratified to see good news in communities nationwide about alternative solutions to help medical providers and workers in this pandemic: Starbucks providing free coffee to healthcare workers and responders. The National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., donating 5,000 respirator masks, held in storage following a previous health scare over 10 years ago, to local hospitals. Whisky and beer producers, automakers and mass clothing producers re-vamping their operations to make needed supplies such as hand sanitizers, medical ventilators and surgical garments.
I have been really impressed with the leadership I'm seeing from health centers, health center controlled networks (HCCNs), Primary Care Organizations, and their partners throughout the country in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. I've been on a lot of phone calls over the past two weeks and you can hear the concern they have for their patients, staff, and physicians. The discussions have been solution orientated and decisions are being made in a thoughtful, methodical, yet expeditious way. Kudos to the leaders at these organizations as well as all of those who work on the front lines providing healthcare. With that said, here is just a small sampling of COVID-19 health center resources made available from some of the many organizations providing resources during this pandemic:
We just received a link to a central repository NACH put together for community health centers. Big thanks to Rhonda Metze of Health Initiatives Consulting for sending this link to us.
The AMA created a quick guide to Telemedicine in light of the Coronavirus outbreak. Please click here to read more.
The following is a message from Josh Klinge, the CEO Newportmed (www.newportmed.com):
Today, President Trump expanded Telehealth benefits. It appears that visits that can be conducted via Telehealth regardless of diagnosis and will be paid by CMS under the "Physician Fee Schedule" at the same amount as in-person services. Specifically, it says,