Support our online development, and advance our onground research initiatives in free market economics, as we seek to showcase the brightest Next-Gen minds.
THE ME-P DISCLAIMER: Posts, comments and opinions do not necessarily represent iMBA, Inc., but become our property after submission. Copyright © 2006 to-date. iMBA, Inc allows colleges, universities, medical and financial professionals and related clinics, hospitals and non-profit healthcare organizations to distribute our proprietary essays, photos, videos, audios and other documents; etc. However, please review copyright and usage information for each individual asset before submission to us, and/or placement on your publication or web site. Attestation references, citations and/or back-links are required. All other assets are property of the individual copyright holder.
Medicare TeleHealth Enhancement Act of 2009
By Staff Reporters
According to Richard S. Bakalar, MD, past president of the American Telemedicine Association, many physicians think that telehealth is a wave of the future for Medicare, but so far the program has been slow to embrace technology. Congressional legislation in 1997 and 2000 largely established the telehealth component of Medicare, yet in 2006 the program spent only $2 million on medical services conducted electronically, out of more than $400 billion in total spending.
The Physical Presence Blockade
Remote patient visits, consultations and other care can generate payment only if they fall under a handful of Medicare payment codes approved for telehealth applications, while the patient must be physically present with a health professional at the originating call site located outside of a metropolitan area. Some types of facilities are not approved to get paid for these services, and Medicare will only pay for home telehealth devices and care as part of an approved pilot project.
Assessment
A major factor in Medicare’s cautious stance is concern that a large expansion would strain the system’s finances by opening the doors for physicians and others to bill for a whole host of costly and potentially unnecessary telehealth services. For further discussion, see www.atmeda.org.
Current Updates for 2010
Link: Medicare Telehealth
Conclusion
Your thoughts and comments on this ME-P are appreciated. Feel free to review our top-left column, and top-right sidebar materials, links, URLs and related websites, too. Then, subscribe to the ME-P. It is fast, free and secure.
Speaker: If you need a moderator or speaker for an upcoming event, Dr. David E. Marcinko; MBA – Publisher-in-Chief of the Medical Executive-Post – is available for seminar or speaking engagements. Contact: MarcinkoAdvisors@msn.com
OUR OTHER PRINT BOOKS AND RELATED INFORMATION SOURCES:
- DICTIONARIES: http://www.springerpub.com/Search/marcinko
- PHYSICIANS: www.MedicalBusinessAdvisors.com
- PRACTICES: www.BusinessofMedicalPractice.com
- HOSPITALS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781466558731
- CLINICS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781439879900
- ADVISORS: www.CertifiedMedicalPlanner.org
- BLOG: www.MedicalExecutivePost.com
- FINANCE:Financial Planning for Physicians and Advisors
- INSURANCE:Risk Management and Insurance Strategies for Physicians and Advisors
Share this:
Filed under: Information Technology, Practice Management, Research & Development | Tagged: American Telemedicine Association, Connected Care Initiative, Medicare Telehealth, Medicare TeleHealth Enhancement Act, Richard S. Bakalar | 23 Comments »
The Leading Business Education Network for Doctors, Financial Advisors and Health Industry Consultants 