Uncategorized

Payers continue wrestling with service delivery expenses to the expanded insurance coverage audience, who were previously uninsured or underinsured. Health insurers now meet the needs of these newly-covered individuals and families, including assuring access to specialty care. One strategy insurers employed is the use of telemedicine. Telemedicine expands access to needed care, facilitate better care coordination and help contain costs. These 5 Health Plan Telemedicine Cases demonstrate how to improve benefits and access.

Telehealth services, which unite technology with healthcare, health information, and health education, have grown substantially over the past 15 years and are expected to increase due to new reimbursement strategies for Medicare providers who offer telehealth services as part of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA). With technology racing out in front of reimbursement policies, any cost savings, quality improvement, or increased access to care waited until now. Measuring telehealth may be the key unlocking a flood of benefits for payers.

Payers interested in the market potential of under-served rural populations long for consistent options for offering affordable policies without provider network limitations. The language policymakers use in telehealth legislation may deter provider networks from offering remote services and tying the hands of payers looking to broad service options, according to a the Center for Connected Health Policy (CCHP). The CCHP, with funding from the Milbank Memorial Fund, release a report covering the current state of telehealth payer laws.