Telehealth

Reimbursement levels will go back to pre-coronavirus levels when the pandemic ends, but Congress may be pressured to make lasting change.

Though mental health professionals say they're mostly pleased with the rapid shift to phone or video services, most plan to return to in-person care once the dangers from COVID-19 have subsided.

By the end of March, 33% of behavioral health claims for Optum members were for a telehealth visit, compared to 2% prior to COVID-19.

Recent data breaches in digital health platforms have raised awareness for privacy protection and questions over who is responsible.

Consumer-centric healthcare means patients have access to their cost and data and are part of the discussions about their healthcare options.

Consumer-centric digital services could become the new norm, according to CEO and President Larry Merlo.

Cost sharing is being waived for in-network primary care, behavioral health and telehealth visits.

The 72-practice Community Care Physicians medical group has used patient engagement tech to improve its no-show rate by 35%, send 776,000 COVID-related newsletters to patients and remind them of their telehealth appointments during the pandemic.

Deep Dive: Health systems are leveraging advanced technologies such as AI, analytics and telehealth to manage patient populations - but are still staying focused on the basic building blocks of health and wellness.

The interim rule is extending the mitigation of shared losses back to January 2020.