"Prior to the pandemic, I thought of audio-only as a quality issue now I think of it as an equity issue," says Drobac, executive director of the advocacy group Alliance for Connected Care. The pandemic changed Krista Drobac's mind about that tradeoff. "Otherwise, I don't know," she jokes, "I might be dead by now."Īs lawmakers and insurers debate whether to continue allowing this sort of audio-only care to continue, the crux of the debate is whether this low-tech way of reaching more people is also safe and effective. ![]() She also relies on 15 different medications, so the ability to meet with her doctor by phone has been critical. Grinius is 71 and has diabetes and skin and vascular conditions that make it hard for her to walk. Being able to visit the doctor through a phone call, she says, would be a "blessing" for many people, the way it has been for her during the pandemic. When they run out of medications or need a checkup, they often resort to calling 911. "There's a lot of people who don't have transportation," she says. Grinius, a patient at Compassion Health, says access to medical care has always been a challenge in her community. ![]() That kind of return to normal is not what Gail Grinius wants to see. Without telehealth, she "might be dead by now" Taken together, the changes mean patients might face abrupt severance from care they've gotten accustomed to accessing remotely and easily. But some private insurers have already stopped reimbursing coverage for audio-only care. Medicare, for example, says it will cover audio-only visits for mental and behavioral health treatment through 2023. ![]() Meanwhile, insurance coverage policies are also in flux. In the remaining states, absent legislation, old restrictions governing telehealth have kicked back in or will some will sunset when the federal public health emergency ends sometime after the end of the year, while others have set their own timelines. states have passed measures keeping audio-only telehealth in place. There are about 1,000 proposals pending before state and federal legislatures that address extending or expanding telehealth beyond the pandemic's public health emergency. That, in turn, made it possible for health care workers to connect with hard-to-reach patients - people who are poor, elderly or live in remote areas.īut today, the rules that temporarily eased licensing and reimbursement restrictions in ways that expanded the use of this type of telehealth service are rapidly shifting. So when state and federal governments temporarily eased privacy and security restrictions on telehealth early in the pandemic, many patients across the country were able to get diagnosed and treated by doctors over phones that don't have video or camera functions. Shots - Health News Telehealth Tips: How To Make The Most Of Video Visits With Your Doctor
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