When calculating each hospital’s readmission performance, hospital patient transfer is not the first thing that comes to mind. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) excludes patients with planned readmissions, left against medical advice or are immediately transferred to other hospitals following an evaluation in the calculation. However, hospitals that have Medicare patients readmitted…
Read MoreDuring the pandemic, hospitals became acutely aware of the need and advantages of telehealth for Infectious Disease (ID) to support care for patients with COVID-19, especially those patients with complicated cases. But, hospitals have long needed ID specialists to manage aging and chronically ill patients with a variety of infectious diagnoses, including more rare infections.…
Read MoreEagle’s leaders reflect on the past 12 months — and share what telemedicine trends they expect in the coming year. Our healthcare heroes continue giving their best for COVID-19 patients. This pandemic battle is far from over, and its effects on hospitals have been daunting. Eagle’s TeleSpecialists have proudly supported our partner hospitals’ dedicated doctors,…
Read MoreAs the pandemic ramped up, and hospitals faced a surge in patients with telemedicine conditions providers can diagnose and treat remotely. At the same time, the lack of onsite infectious disease (ID) specialists became critical. The confluence of a specialist shortage and a telemedicine solution led many hospitals to seek out emergency hospital telemedicine programs.…
Read MorePrograms designed to lower hospital readmissions often focus on patient characteristics associated with reimbursement penalties assessed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS). This approach makes a lot of sense because the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program (HRRP) only reduces payment for readmissions associated with certain diagnoses — acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, pneumonia and…
Read MoreHospitals across the U.S. are expanding the ways they tackle hospital readmission rates in the age of COVID-19. With the help of telemedicine, hospitals are implementing procedures that better prepare at-risk patients for discharge. More than 35 million hospital discharges happen annually in the United States alone. Hospitals readmit nearly 20% of Medicare discharges within…
Read MoreHospitals 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…
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