Tag: access to care

Telehealth Is on the Rise

Telehealth is gaining in usage, says a new report, but there are still some barriers in place that are hindering wider implementation.

Telehealth is gaining in usage, or so found the State of the States Report: Coverage and Reimbursement from the American Telemedicine Association. However, there are still some barriers in place that are hindering wider implementation.

The report, which offers an in-depth analysis of telehealth laws and policies, was released last week, along with a statement from the ATA. In the statement, Ann Mond Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of the ATA, said, “This year’s ATA report illustrates the increasing recognition of telehealth, and can guide federal and state lawmakers to identify and address policy gaps. Collectively, states are realizing the many benefits of telehealth and are implementing policies that advance utilization.”

Key findings from the ATA report include:

  • The eight most common types of telehealth providers include physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, licensed mental health professionals, psychologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and dentists.
  • Since 2017, when the ATA issued their last report, 40 states and the District of Columbia have adopted telehealth policies or have received awards to expand telehealth coverage and reimbursement.
  • 36 states and D.C. have parity policies for private payer coverage, and only 21 states and D.C. have coverage parity policies in Medicaid.
  • 28 states have Medicaid payment parity policies, and only 16 mandate payment parity for private payers.
  • The majority of states have no restrictions on eligible provider types; ten states have authorized six or more types of providers to treat patients through telehealth.
  • Currently, 29 states do not specify where a patient must be located in order to receive care via telehealth.

“It’s clear that more states are adopting telehealth solutions, but some lack the authority or resources needed to fully deploy telehealth across the state. ATA supports expanding research opportunities to increase innovation and reduce costs, to help incentivize states to continue to adopt telehealth services,” added Mond Johnson.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Maine Law Allows PAs, NPs, Midwives to Perform Abortions

When the bill goes into effect next June, Maine will be the eighth state to permit advanced practitioners to provide abortion services.

With the signing of a bill by Governor Janet Mills this week, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and certified nurse-midwives gained the ability to provide abortion medication and perform in-clinic abortions in the state of Maine. The bill, which was introduced into legislation by the Governor herself, aims to expand access to reproductive health care for women across Maine, particularly for those located in rural areas.

“Allowing qualified and licensed medical professionals to perform abortions will ensure that Maine women, especially those in rural areas, are able to access critical reproductive health care services when and where they need them from qualified providers they know and trust. These health care professionals are trained in family planning, counseling, and abortion procedures, the overwhelming majority of which are completed without complications,” Governor Mills said in a statement released on Monday. “Maine is defending the rights of women and taking a step toward equalizing access to care as other states are seeking to undermine, rollback, or outright eliminate these services.”

When the bill goes into effect next June, Maine will be the eighth state—joining New Hampshire, Vermont, Alaska, California, Colorado, New York and Oregon—to permit advanced practitioners to provide abortion services.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

VA Implements Private Sector Healthcare Programs

The VA expands access to care under the VA MISSION Act, allowing vets to see private sector doctors, specialists in certain cases.

The VA MISSION Act, which was signed into law by President Trump on June 6th of last year, is now in effect, including a provision that allows military veterans to go to an urgent care facility for acute illness or injury and the Veterans Community Care Program, which expands access to healthcare to the private sector.

Under the new Community Care Program, veterans whose local VA facility is more than a 30-minute drive, or those who must wait more than 20 days for a primary care or mental health appointment, may qualify for private care. Additionally, if a veteran has to drive more than 60 minutes to a VA facility, or has to wait more than 28 days for a specialty care appointment, seeing a specialist in the private sector will be considered.

Previously, veterans who had to drive more than 40 miles, or wait longer than 30 days for an appointment with the VA, could choose to see a private sector doctor paid for by the VA.

VA officials have estimated the new rules could dramatically increase access to care for veterans, making as many as 2.1 million eligible for VA-sponsored private care, up from around 560,000.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

Critical Shortage of Pediatric NPs Looms

With the physician shortage in full swing and not enough PNPs joining the workforce, there is a growing hole in who will care for this nation’s children, with few answers in sight.

There is a serious need for pediatric Nurse Practitioners (PNPs), according to a new white paper published in the Journal of Pediatric Health Care’s most recent issue.

The authors, including Kristin Hittle Gigli, Ph.D., R.N., CPNP-AC, CCRN, of the University of Pittsburgh, and colleagues, report that “despite the specific demand for pediatric care, there is a forecasted critical shortage of PNPs over the next decade.”

This is partly because the amount of PNPs in practice has not grown as rapidly as other disciplines across the NP profession, while physician shortages continue to be problematic. While advanced practitioners are widely believed to be able to close the gap in access to care resulting from the physician shortage, it is estimated that only 8% of the 270,000 licensed NPs in the U.S. are PNPs, while two out of three new NPs entering the workforce reported graduating from family NP (FNP) programs. Although FNPs can care for children, most report their total children account for less than 25% of their total patient population. This leaves a growing hole in who will care for the children of this nation, with few answers in sight.

“Dedicated research into the PNP role, workforce, and care outcomes will address gaps in our knowledge of the role and support the advancement of the profession,” the white paper states. As well as, “when considering possible shortages of PNPs, evaluation of the workforce pipeline and graduate nursing education programs becomes an important factor in mitigating potential shortages,” and goes on to say, “Attention should be focused on updating and expanding knowledge of the state of the PNP workforce to identify areas in practice and policy where interventions will support maximizing the contributions of these providers to high-quality, accessible, and affordable pediatric health care.”

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.