Is Wearable Health Tech Poised to Play a Bigger Role in Washington?

pexels-pixabay-267394-scaled

High costs. Disparities. Limited accessibility.  Everyone agrees that there are a lot of things wrong with the US health care system right now.  Fortunately, lawmakers, administration officials, and stakeholders are beginning to coalesce around wearable health technology as a possible solution because of its potential to tackle many health care problems.  For example, wearable tech can address: […]

The Uncertain Future for Telehealth

national-cancer-institute-L8tWZT4CcVQ-unsplash-1920x1280

April 16, 2022.  That’s the date the current public health emergency (PHE) is set to expire.  The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) initially promised to provide 60 days’ notice to states and health care organizations before ending the PHE.  However, the Biden administration has been mum on its plans regarding the PHE and […]

Should Payment Parity for Telehealth Continue?

pexels-anna-shvets-4225920-scaled-1-1920x1280

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued rulemaking to require Medicare to pay the same rates for telehealth and in-person care for the duration of the public health emergency (PHE).  Now that the end of the pandemic may be in sight, stakeholders are debating whether Medicare should continue offering payment […]

The Government’s Ambitions Plans to Grow Broadband Access

pexels-brett-sayles-2881232-scaled-1-1920x1277

A major barrier to widespread telehealth adoption in the United States is lack of access to broadband internet.  While telehealth utilization has surged since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth’s potential for growth is limited by lack of high-speed internet connections for both patients and providers. However, not all Americans have access to broadband.  […]

Amazon Moves to Disrupt Health, Influence Policy

pexels-ramaz-bluashvili-7016960-scaled-1-1920x1280

Amazon is primed to disrupt primary care just like the tech giant has done to retail, cloud computing, and package delivery services.  This time, it’s telehealth. On March 17, 2021, Amazon took a major step forward in expanding its health care reach by announcing  plans to make Amazon Care, its virtual health service benefit, available to all […]

Looking to the Future of Telehealth

pexels-edward-jenner-4031818-scaled-1-1920x1280

Telehealth is here to stay, said participants of a March 12 Axios forum on how technology is impacting the health care system.  However, that doesn’t mean telehealth is without its problems, and the participants separately warned of concerns related to privacy, health disparities, and connectivity going forward. 1)  Patient Data.  Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) explained how increased […]