Interest High, Investments Lagging Remote patient monitoring tools not ready for primetime, say providers
Provider organizations are still primarily browsing, rather than buying, remote monitoring tools, according to a recent study of telehealth adoption conducted by market intelligence firm and consultancy Spyglass Consulting Group, Menlo Park, Calif.
Two-thirds of those interviewed are limiting investments and deployment of remote patient monitoring (RPM) solutions. Managing Director Gregg Malkary says, “There's an enormous tidal wave that's about to take place. The only thing holding it back at this time is reimbursement and (state-based) licensure.”
The study finds early adopters of RPM solutions to be capitated managed care organizations which have fiscal responsibility across the spectrum of care. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has pilot programs with segments of its chronically ill population, but Medicare is not paying for the technology. Medicaid and third-party payers are only paying on a case-by-case basis, mostly in rural areas, Malkary says. Increased adoption by the VA and Medicare reimbursements will lead the way for other payers, who will be compelled to follow their lead.
The other serious hold-up is the U.S.'s state-based licensure system.
“With telehealth applications, providers can access the best medical minds in the country,” says Malkary. That is, if states’ licensing rules permitted physicians to practice across state lines. Other key findings report immaturity in RPM offerings, which providers say should be less costly, easier to use and better integrated with existing infrastructure.
Paulus to Provide Patient Care, Geisinger-style
Ronald Paulus, M.D., MBA, a physician with expertise in healthcare services, health IT and quality improvement, has joined Geisinger Health System and its venture capital group, Geisinger Ventures, to work on the functionality of inpatient EHR. Paulus will serve as chief healthcare information technology venture officer and special assistant to President and CEO Glenn Steele Jr., M.D.
Paulus co-founded CareScience, Inc., a company that commercialized healthcare technology developed at the University of Pennsylvania. He received both his Master of Business Administration and his M.D. degrees from the University of Pennsylvania before undergoing training in internal medicine at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Jumpin' on Board — 10 New Board Members
The National Alliance for Health Information Technology has named 10 new board members. The Chicago-based group is a partnership of senior executives who collaborate with healthcare and government leaders to influence healthcare decision-makers.
The newly named board members are:
-
Michael Cowan, M.D., vice-admiral, U.S. Navy (Ret.) and chief medical officer, health services, BearingPoint, Inc.
-
Thomas Fritz, CEO, Inland Northwest Health Services
-
Andrea Gelzer, M.D., M.S., F.A.C.P., senior vice president, clinical public affairs, CIGNA Healthcare
-
Michael Mahoney, CEO, Global Healthcare Exchange, LLC
-
Joseph Pleasant Jr., senior vice president and CIO, Premier, Inc.
-
Robert Rosecrans, senior vice president and CIO, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association
-
Sunny Sanyal, group president, clinical solutions, McKesson Corporation
-
Bruce Taffel, M.D., chief medical officer, government business and emerging markets, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee
-
Noel Williams, senior vice president and CIO, HCA
-
Thomas Zenty, president and CEO, University Hospitals & Health System Services and Surgical Critical Care, Cedars-Sinai Health System
-
Chantal Worzala, Ph.D., senior associate director for policy, American Hospital Association
-
Alan Ying, M.D., founder and CEO, MercuryMD, Inc.
