Hospitals are working to drive down 30-day readmission rates for the benefit of patients, and to avoid reimbursement cuts by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS). In our third post on the impact of the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program (HRRP), we discuss: Where patients with conditions associated with HRRP penalties are admitted to the…
Read MorePediatric Telemedicine can solve the difficulty community hospitals are facing recruiting and retaining pediatric physicians. And with the rising number of children with chronic health problems, the shortage these hospitals face today is expected to intensify in upcoming years. Eagle’s TeleHospitalist Dr. Rebecca Jentzen is a new mom who believes in the value of TelePediatrics.…
Read MoreWith healthcare moving from fee-for-service to value-based care and with the increased focus on population health and patient satisfaction, telemedicine can help reduce physician burnout and care gaps that lead to higher readmission rates. In our last article, Can Better Diagnoses, Prescriptions Help with Hospital Readmission Reduction Program Initiatives?, we discussed how telemedicine can support…
Read MoreTele-NICU provides a highly experienced neonatologist at a moment’s notice 24/7/365. Anywhere in the U.S., any rural or suburban hospital can have the expertise of a neonatologist who can “beam in” via a high-tech audio-visual cart. Neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) generate considerable revenue for hospitals. But in small community hospitals, there often is no…
Read MoreTelemedicine programs may seem revolutionary. The concept of a physician “beaming” into a hospital room may seem like Star Trek Healthcare. You may wonder at the efficacy, when the physician is a face on a TV monitor. Truth is, telemedicine programs are proven effective in medical care — with highly skilled medical TeleSpecialists, advanced audio/video/sensory…
Read MoreThe Hospital Readmission Reduction Program (HRRP), which is managed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), reduces payments to hospitals with excessive readmissions. High readmission rates can contribute to significant damage to a hospital’s financial health. What actions can hospitals take to lower readmissions? The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality estimates patients…
Read MoreEarly in this series, we discussed the need to lift CMS virtual care and telehealth restrictions related to the patient’s originating site and attending physician. Today we focus on reimbursement parity for inpatient telemedicine. When the needs of patients suffering from the novel coronavirus triggered changes to CMS reimbursement policies, many private health insurers also…
Read MoreEven before the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) waived site requirements for telemedicine reimbursement in response to the pandemic, rural hospitals benefited from telehealth-friendly legislation to maintain access to care despite the nationwide doctor shortage. Prior to the waivers related to COVID-19, CMS rules around telemedicine reimbursement didn’t apply to vulnerable urban hospitals.…
Read MoreHospitals and communities have taken a big hit in recent months. The good news is — telemedicine has helped them stay afloat, closing up service gaps to meet community needs. Eagle is proud to help these hospitals rise to the challenge. Let’s take a step back to examine this complicated situation, and illustrate just how…
Read MoreBefore the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of regulatory restrictions, like registration for DEA telemedicine numbers, limited a physician’s ability to practice across state lines. Many of these, such as instate licensure requirements, were waived to combat the public health emergency (PHE) by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). While the CMS changes marked…
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