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Survey on Medicare’s Telehealth Initiative for Managing Chronic Conditions

A recent survey conducted by Kryptiq, a developer of population health management solutions, indicated that 76% of healthcare providers "would organize and structure to meet chronic care management program requirements" within 6 months, while 92% said they would adopt the plan within 1 year.

 


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On January 1, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented an initiative to reimburse providers who actively manage Medicare patients diagnosed with ≥2 chronic conditions. The care delivery program must include a certified electronic health record (EHR), patient consent, the delivery of 5 core care management services, and at least 20 minutes of non-facetime follow-up care outside the office each month.

The care received outside of the office could be rendered by a telehealth or mHealth platform that accommodates home-based monitoring tools, including video-conferencing. In accordance, CMS unveiled new current procedural terminology codes in 2014 that allow Medicare reimbursement for remote patient monitoring of chronic conditions.

"The survey results provide additional evidence that the transition from volume to value is underway," noted Cynthia Burghard, research director, IDC Health Insights, in a press release. "For the first time, the Department of Health & Human Services has developed a timetable with specific milestones and thresholds detailing Medicare's shift toward new value-based payment models."

The survey also found that more than one-quarter of participants said they are focused on "competing health [information technology] interests," such as an EHR implementation. Meanwhile, 46% said they do not have the staff or resources to effectively implement a chronic care program, and 15% felt they do not have the right technology.—Kerri Fitzgerald