Video Consultation May Not Have Advantages For Pediatric Prescribing

Video Consultation May Not Have Advantages For Pediatric Prescribing

Researchers found the use of video telemedicine to conduct consultations for acutely ill children in rural and community emergency departments (EDs) does not reduce medication errors when compared to consultations done by telephone, as presented in JAMA Network Open. A randomized trial across 15 community and rural EDs that examined 696 cases of acutely ill children found no statistically significant differences in physician-related medication errors between cases leveraging telephone consultations when compared to cases leveraging …

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Hackensack Integrates UC, Behavioral Health

Hackensack Integrates UC, Behavioral Health

In New Jersey, Hackensack Meridian Health is now offering its HMH Urgent Care, which integrates behavioral health with same-day urgent care and telemedicine visits. According to Becker’s Hospital Review, it’s the first urgent care that simultaneously provides both immediate medical care and services for psychiatric conditions as part of a strategy to reduce emergency department visits. The HMH Urgent Care suite includes short-term outpatient care for those 16 years and older to address anxiety, depression, mood …

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More Providers Billing For Patient Text Messages

More Providers Billing For Patient Text Messages

According to a JAMA study, providers are increasingly billing patient-initiated text messages as “telemedicine.”  Not to be confused with synchronous video visits, more than 100,000 such text-message charges were billed per month in 2022, and monthly volume increased 40% from Q4 of 2021 to Q4 of 2022. That’s the same comparison period in which urgent care visits were down significantly as the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant emerged.  Top UC diagnoses: “What really stands out are the top …

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Telemedicine Leads to Referrals

Telemedicine Leads to Referrals

A recent JAMA Network Open Viewpoint article explored the frustrations resulting from the expiration of temporary regulatory changes that were implemented by almost all states to allow physicians to provide telehealth across state lines during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the end of the public health emergency, many licensing waivers ended as well. Some argue that licensure should remain under control of the state while others advocate for a single federal license or full …

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Telehealth Use Is Down from Its Peak—But the New Plateau Is Far Higher Than Pre-Pandemic Levels

Telehealth Use Is Down from Its Peak—But the New Plateau Is Far Higher Than Pre-Pandemic Levels

Patients were more willing to use telehealth than ever in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to data from a report published by McKinsey & Company, telehealth claims grew 7,800% between February 2020 and April 2020. They dropped precipitously just a couple of months later, but have since plateaued. What could be of interest to urgent care operators who are  considering telehealth as a service option, especially as we’re in the midst of …

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Telemedicine Still Struggles to Catch on in Urgent Care

Some urgent care insiders view telemedicine as a natural fit for our industry—an opportunity to give patients even more convenient access to competent healthcare providers, thereby increasing engagement and resulting in more care for more patients. Others just don’t see how it would be applicable, or fear that remote visits could result in overprescribing (especially for antibiotics and pain medications). Judging from data just released through the Urgent Care Associations 2021 Summer Benchmarking Report, widespread …

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Telehealth Adoption Has Been Slow, but Some Operators Are Profiting

Telehealth Adoption Has Been Slow, but Some Operators Are Profiting

Telemedicine has been hyped as a savior for both patients with poor access to quality local healthcare and operators who want to increase revenue by providing that care. Business has not exactly been booming for most, however, possibly due to lack of awareness among the public or slow adoption by payers. As competition for patients heats up among various segments of the provider landscape, however, there may be a bigger push to capture patients who …

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Telemedicine Meets Occ Med Rehab in New Concentra Initiative in California

Telemedicine Meets Occ Med Rehab in New Concentra Initiative in California

Workers who need to rehab injuries can now do so without schlepping to a physical therapy practice under a new initiative just launched by Concentra in California. The “telerehab” program hooks up employees with workers comp claims with Concentra therapy clinicians from home or work, with the intention of improving compliance and speeding recovery and return to full function on the job. Presumably, the program will be expanded to others states if it’s successful.

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Telemedicine Enables Faster Testing for Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure

Telemedicine Enables Faster Testing for Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure

OSHA says employers have to evaluate for bloodborne pathogens immediately following possible exposure via needle-stick or specific eye, mouth, other mucous membrane, nonintact skin, or parenteral contact with blood. “Immediate” can be tricky on the jobsite or for first responders and clinical personnel, however, so U.S. HealthWorks is trying to facilitate faster access through a new telemedicine program. The company has an app that facilitates access at any time, any day and includes comprehensive medical …

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Texas Medical Board Gets with the Program on Telemedicine

Texas Medical Board Gets with the Program on Telemedicine

The Texas Medical Board has laid down new rules governing how telemedicine providers can treat patients in the state. Gone are stipulations that a provider must see a patient face-to-face before being able to treat them remotely. The Board’s decision on that point is in concert with a new state law passed in May. The medical board’s decision could pave the way for around 28 million Texans to gain access to virtual care, including 3 …

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