Insurers Pay Net Bills For Telehealth; Data Show Racial Differences In Use
White adults, new federal data show, are more likely to use video telehealth services than audio ones. Use is also higher among white people, young adults and people earning over $100,000. Meanwhile, some systems are beginning to pay for internet access to boost the reach of telehealth to more users.
Modern Healthcare:
Telehealth Use Differs By Race, Economic Status
Black, Latino and Asian adults are more likely than their white counterparts to use audio telehealth services rather than video, according to new federal data released Wednesday. Telehealth usage was similar across demographic groups, but white people, young adults, people earning at least $100,000 and the privately insured were most likely to use video services, according to national survey data analyzed by the Health and Human Services Department. People of color, people with lower incomes, adults without a high school degree and seniors skewed toward using audio-only services. (Hellmann and Hartnett, 2/2)
Stat:
As Internet Access Limits Telehealth's Reach, Insurers Are Starting To Cover It
Billions of dollars have been poured into telehealth during the pandemic: Insurers loosened the purse strings on virtual appointments, digital health companies pulled in astronomical investments, and the public markets minted multiple unicorns. But while virtual care’s proponents are fighting to cement its future, many Americans still can’t sign on at all. (Palmer, 2/3)
In other health care industry news —
Modern Healthcare:
Bottom-Tier Hospitals Got Better At Infection Control, But Still Hit With 1% Medicare Pay Cuts
Hospitals with the worst rates patient infections have, on average, improved since 2018. Despite moving the needle on healthcare-associated infections, however, there will always be losers under the CMS Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program. The bottom 25%—749 hospitals—are subject to 1% Medicare payment cuts in fiscal 2022. The Affordable Care Act established the penalty program as a way to put a spotlight on persistent patient safety problems. But the hospital industry questions whether the system is is fair, especially because healthcare-associated infections were declining prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Gillespie, 2/2)
Houston Chronicle:
UTHealth Houston Unveils New Public Psychiatric Hospital, The First In Texas In 25 Years
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston on Wednesday unveiled a new public psychiatric hospital, which will bolster the city’s mental health treatment options and expand the state’s overburdened psychiatric resources. Built in partnership with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, the $126 million, 264-bed facility at the Texas Medical Center is the first public psychiatric hospital to be built in the state in 25 years, the university said. Combined with the adjacent UTHealth Harris County Psychiatric Center, the 538-bed campus is the largest academic psychiatric hospital in the country, the university said. (Gill, 2/2)
The Boston Globe:
New President Of Brigham And Women’s Hospital Makes Medical Staff Diversity A Top Priority
From his first job as a doctor more than three decades ago to his current role in the upper echelons of academic medicine, Dr. Robert S. D. Higgins has grown accustomed to being the first Black person to hold a position. Higgins, an accomplished heart and lung transplant surgeon, is now the first Black person to serve as president of Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He is charged with leading the prestigious hospital through a complex integration with Massachusetts General Hospital and the other institutions that make up the Mass General Brigham system. His history of career firsts is critical to how he’s approaching the job. (Dayal McCluskey, 2/2)
Stat:
A Scientific Pioneer Is On The Sidelines Of The Race In Xenotransplantation
The last few months have seen a flurry of firsts for the field of xenotransplantation, sparking new hope that the science of making human-friendly organs from pigs — and with it the potential to solve the severe shortage of donated human organs — is finally ready for prime time. The companies now in the race to start human trials are a mix of old and new: Revivicor, eGenesis, Recombinetics. But one company has been notably absent from the recent frenzy — Qihan Biotech, the brainchild of Luhan Yang, the intensely driven CRISPR superstar whose work kicked the xeno field up a few dozen notches. (Molteni, 2/3)
KHN:
Pandemic-Fueled Shortages Of Home Health Workers Strand Patients Without Necessary Care
Frail older adults are finding it harder than ever to get paid help amid acute staff shortages at home health agencies. Several trends are fueling the shortages: Hospitals and other employers are hiring away home health workers with better pay and benefits. Many aides have fallen ill or been exposed to covid-19 during the recent surge of omicron cases and must quarantine for a time. And staffers are burned out after working during the pandemic in difficult, anxiety-provoking circumstances. (Graham, 2/3)
