Remote physiologic monitoring (RPM) technology, also called remote patient monitoring, is playing a vital role during the current pandemic. It excels in connecting patients to care teams, providing real-time clinical data needed to control symptom and disease progression. As COVID-19 continues to spread, our country faces the unprecedented challenge of managing health in a safe and effective manner.
Time and resources are valuable commodities for all healthcare organizations — especially as medical professionals battle this pandemic. Clinicians adopt RPM to monitor, assess and address patients’ health, instantly receiving vitals and data from thermometers, pulse oximeters and blood pressure monitors. With real-time insights come fast response, better prioritization and triage of patients, and faster delivery of healthcare when every minute counts.
Patients no longer have to rely on their own discretion as to whether their rising temperature or shortness of breath warrant a visit to the nearest emergency room. With RPM technologies, they have confidence that they are being monitored; a change in their health status will be immediately conveyed to their care team. RPM expedites the delivery of medical care in a safe and virtual manner, as face-to-face treatment now poses too large of a risk potential in many cases. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released new regulations covering these services for patients with acute conditions.
CPT Codes and RPM Adoption
The recent healthcare crisis put a spotlight on the value that tools like RPM and wearable devices in the management of patient outcomes. It was in 2019, however, that their use became more common. That is when CMS published several new RPM Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes. These CPT codes more clearly improve reimbursement for the work typically performed around RPM service programs. This includes issuing devices to the patient and training them on its use. It also supports electronic transmissions, monitoring clinical data, and interactively communicating with patients.
These newly released codes successfully boosted physician adoption. In Spyglass Consulting Group’s 2019 survey, 88% of healthcare providers reported either purchasing or evaluating RPM technologies. Providers have found RPM valuable in managing high-risk populations. It also led to expansion of chronic care management programs, aiding in the successful transition to value-based care models. RPM is highly effective in treating prevalent diseases, such as diabetes, congestive heart failure, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and asthma. Studies demonstrate that they play a significant role in substantially reducing readmission rates and overall costs of care.
In 2020, CMS further relaxed their RPM guidelines. Clinical staff can now perform these services under the supervising physician’s general supervision based on CMS’ incident-to guidelines. This allows care providers to work efficiently, freeing up physician time for more complex treatments and procedures. It also expands the potential business models for RPM programs, as the physician doesn’t have to be in the same physical location while the services are performed.
Medical Benefits of RPM
DocsInk uniquely positions medical professionals to successfully implement an RPM program. It simplifies the day to day use of remote patient monitoring for medical professionals by seamlessly connecting to any wearable device. Additionally, it offers customizable clinical alert notifications, facilitates templated patient surveys, streamlines interactive patient communications, and instantly bills for all professional services rendered.
We are all working to gain control over the global health crisis. Yet we must simultaneously navigate value-based care, manage chronically-ill patient populations, and provide general health coaching. That’s why we created a new solution. DocsInk’s RPM solution offers a strong ROI, improved workflow efficiencies, and the tools to achieve patient goals.
The healthcare industry continues to navigate the challenges caused by COVID-19. Clinicians are working tirelessly to provide high-quality care via Telehealth rather than face to face. Yet it seems that now, more than ever, there is a need for simple, secure, and reliable technology to connect patients to their care teams.
To that end, telehealth services guidelines have been relaxed. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), State Medicaid programs, and many major insurance payers including Blue Cross Blue Shield and United Healthcare have responded. This does two things: firstly, it simplifies reimbursement, and secondly, it expands patient access to care.
Telehealth changes
On March 6, 2020, CMS began paying physicians and qualified non-provider professionals (QPPs) for all telehealth visits. For example, 80 additional codes were added for use during the public health emergency.
Meanwhile, there are other highlights of note:
Telehealth is now available to HPSA areas (federally defined rural areas);
Patients may receive telehealth visits at home;
Providers can get paid as they would if the patient was in the office;
CMS will not include “established patient” audits with the billing provider. This allows clinicians to bill for medical services for new patients.
Here is another conundrum. Telehealth services are typically subject to CMS’ standard co-insurance and deductible amounts. As a result, Medicare patients can be left with a balance due. However, reducing the amounts owed by Medicare beneficiaries can violate the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute, the civil monetary penalty rule, and exclusion laws.
Consequently, new guidance has been issued. The Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) has determined that providers should not be subject to these sanctions. This allows for reduced or eliminated beneficiary cost share for telehealth or e-visits.
In addition, CMS is recognizing new virtual check-in codes for communication-based technology services (CBTS). These CBTS codes include remote evaluation of pre-recorded patient information (CPT code G2010) and virtual check-ins (CPT code G2012). Each has an average allowable amount of between $12 – $15.
One last recommended reading: COVID-19 State Medicaid & CHIP Telehealth Toolkit. Released in April, its goal is to expand telehealth services as the preferred means of delivering and receiving healthcare.
Who is DocsInk
DocsInk differentiates its software from the competition by simultaneously addressing the fiscal, communication, and connectivity needs of medical professionals. Delivered as Software-as-a-Service (“SaaS”), DocsInk is improving the way technology integrates with the various workflows of the healthcare industry. By utilizing the SMART on FHIR platform and protocols, DocsInk has set its platform to create truly integrated and system agnostic services with EHR/PM systems. Beyond our technology, that is native to Mac, PC, iOS, and Android, our team is dedicated to providing customer support and a user experience that is second to none.
At DocsInk we understand that COVID-19 overshadows anything previously seen or experienced throughout the modern history of the world. Fears of both the known and unknown continues to wreak havoc on even the healthiest populations around the globe. Every individual is impacted, causing us to rethink the way we live, work, and care for one another. Due to this, new solutions for each have bombarded the healthcare industry with Telehealth being one of the number one buzz words.
Recently, the leading topic throughout the healthcare industry has been the shift from fee-for-service to value-based care. Lowering the costs of care and improving health outcomes are still vital goals. However, healthcare professionals must now focus on finding new ways to deliver medical care when treating patients face-to-face is not always safe or possible making Telehealth the most viable solution.
These new and daunting challenges prompted the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to issue regulatory waivers and guidelines. Telehealth is at the forefront of preferred and recommended treatment options. It uses interactive electronic communications to provide clinical services to patients in lieu of in-person visits.
Uncomplicating Telehealth
Telehealth is an effective alternative to brick and mortar office visits, when quick to adopt and easy to deploy. Healthcare heroes are working tirelessly to care for patients with acute and chronic conditions in the toughest of circumstances. Their technology, then, must be an uncomplicated and reliable solution. It must streamline their efforts and connect care teams to their patients, when and where they need it most.
Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) and Virtual Check-Ins work in tandem with telehealth. These are effective methods to impact patient care during the pandemic. DocsInk, a leading healthcare communication technology, delivers these services in a uniquely simple and secure manner.
Practices around the nation benefit from the ability to virtualize their practice in minutes using DocsInk’s One-Tap Telehealth Solution. Our secure system lets patients use audio or video, and within seconds become linked to their providers. No need to download software or applications. Yet, it has all the systems in one place to create a seamless workflow for full continuity of care.
Telehealth Benefits
Videos provide greater insight into problems patients have trouble explaining. Now they can be used as part of an electronic patient care plan and imported into health information exchanges. And because they are secure, they can be shared with care teams and caregivers.
DocsInk integrates an appointment dashboard and scheduler. It offers secure messaging features, and the billing/charge capture functionality differentiate the solution. It’s the best way to create a seamless workflow for streamlined and reimbursable visits.
Patient monitoring is now a critical component of any successful telehealth solution. DocsInk’s Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) Solution, also known as Remote Physiological Monitoring, relays real-time patient data back to clinicians . Particularly in the middle of the health crisis, medical providers rely on RPM to monitor a patient’s pulmonary function, temperature, blood pressure, and other vital changes in symptoms and disease progression.
The ability to easily launch a Telehealth session between provider and patient enables RPM data to become actionable. Expedite critical medical decision making. Change treatment plans and medication management. Help patients avoid preventable declines in their health status.
CMS has recognized RPM to be such a critical component to patient care that they changed their regulations. Patients with acute conditions and those suffering from one or more chronic conditions are now allowed to receive these services.
Virtual Care
DocsInk is more than just a telehealth solution. The Virtual Care options, such as automated Check-Ins and Customized Surveys, give clinicians the unique ability to monitor their patients and improve their overall health and well-being. Customize electronic check-in intervals with DocsInk, and personalize the questions you ask.
Popular use cases include post-discharge check in’s, post-surgery questionnaires, standardized mental health scale tests, etc. Clinicians use these tools to mold the DocsInk technology to fit their workflows, protocols, and patient needs.
Beyond the unparalleled functionality and ease of use, DocsInk also does not overlook the importance of data privacy. The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) waived the enforcement of HIPAA regulations, yet we remain committed to privacy and security. Both providers and patients can depend on us to protect them from personal, financial, reputation, and operational harm.
DocsInk is unique. We securely connect patients and providers, using simple technology built for improving patient lives, streamlining practice workflows, and revenue generation. DocsInk is the only choice for HIPAA Compliant communication-based technology and virtual care. Especially when time, money, and health matter.
The landscape of healthcare has dramatically changed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. E-visits have replaced traditional Doctor’s offices visits. Mobile devices are the norm now that quarantines have pushed the fast forward button on the adoption of telemedicine.
Before the pandemic, Telemedicine use was limited. Lower-level services, such as diabetic teaching and hospital-based specialty visits in rural areas, were its domain. Although accepted in theory, providers and patients alike were slow to warm up to virtual care. Medicare only covered telemedicine visits in very limited situations; reimbursement rates from both government and private payers were very low.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) began paying for telemedicine visits at the same rate as in-person visits. They relaxed many rigid guidelines which made virtual visits more accessible for Medicare patients.
Private insurance companies quickly followed suit, which led to an onslaught of new telehealth visits. The Wall Street Journal reported that CMS telemedicine visits increased from 100,000 to 300,000 per week as of March 28, 2020, with an expectation that it will continue to grow at a steady rate.
Frost and Sullivan research reported total telemedicine visits increased by 50% nationwide, and expected to hit nearly 1 billion by the end of 2020.
The question remains: what will happen when the COVID-19 crisis is over? No one knows how many of the new telemedicine administrative guidelines and reimbursement rates will remain in effect. Yet, it appears safe to say that virtual visits will remain a viable treatment option.
Virtual healthcare aligns well with the value-based-care mandate. If that continues, providers and payers will find great value in quality care which boasts efficiencies and lowers costs. Patients appreciate the convenience of receiving healthcare when and where they choose, without wait times, missed work, or transportation complications.
The Genie’s Out of the Bottle.
Seema Verman told the Wall Street Journal just that. A CMS administrator, Verma was adamant. “… the advent of telehealth has been completely accelerated. It’s taken this crisis to push us to a new frontier, but there’s absolutely no going back.”
In short, telemedicine is here to stay.
Who is DocsInk
DocsInk differentiates its software from the competition by simultaneously addressing the fiscal, communication, and connectivity needs of medical professionals. Delivered as Software-as-a-Service (“SaaS”), DocsInk is improving the way technology integrates with the various workflows of the healthcare industry. By utilizing the SMART on FHIR platform and protocols, DocsInk has set its platform to create truly integrated and system agnostic services with EHR/PM systems. Beyond our technology, that is native to Mac, PC, iOS, and Android, our team is dedicated to providing customer support and a user experience that is second to none.
DocsInk is the leading Chronic Care Management (CCM) and collaborative communication platform and because of this, Healthcare stakeholders nationwide rely on it. Therefore, it is with great fanfare we are able to announce we’ve achieved Level 3 (active medication) capability from Community Care of North Carolina (CCNC) for the Pharmacist eCare Plan initiative.
What are the implications?
Firstly, let’s discuss the eCare Plan. The Pharmacist eCare Plan has become the standard for interoperability and exchange of information. It allows pharmacies to better coordinate care, and addresses active medication lists as well as drug therapy problems, gaps in care and interventions and patient-centered goals. The plan itself has some bona fides. It was developed in conjunction with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, and is endorsed by The Pharmacy Health Information Technology Collaborative (PHIT). Details are available by clicking here.
It follows, then, that the country’s leader in CCM and collaborative communication would be on the ground floor of the offering.
The big news? DocsInk is the only technology company with a CCM solution that has met Level 3 for the Pharmacist eCare Plan. As a result, community pharmacies using DocInk’s application can share care plans electronically with other care team providers. And, Pharmacists enjoy reduced costs, improved health outcomes, and faster payment for work performed.
Julie Thomas, DocsInk CEO, had this to say:
“Obtaining Level 3 demonstrates at least two of our commitments. First, it reflects our dedication to promoting interoperability, and secondarily it indicates effectiveness in sharing patient data in real-time. Furthermore, as pharmacies expand clinical services ‘beyond the fill,’ we will partner with them to increase revenue via compensation for care interventions.”
What Pharmacists Think about DocsInk’s CCM Solution
CPESN Luminary Amina Abubaker, PharmD, is owner of RxClinic Pharmacy and Avant Institute of Clinicians in Charlotte, NC. Here’s what she says: “DocsInk is part of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) grant-funded program. So, as we use their CCM platform, we value them as innovators. They share our passion for integrating clinical services into community pharmacies. As a result, it helps us be integral members of the patient’s care team.”
Troy Trygstad is the VP of Pharmacy Programs at Community Care of North Carolina. “DocsInk is a great example of what the eCare Plan is meant to be,” he said. “Starting with the Chronic Care Management documentation, we appreciate the activity submission and care plan coordination. The active medication list capability is an essential component. It transcends both pharmacy and practice, so they can easily reconcile medications and work together collaboratively.”
Finally, Pharmacies that currently use DocsInk’s CCM software have access to DocsInk’s eCare Plan submission at no extra expense. Most importantly, the eCare Plan is available as a stand-alone solution as are all features of DocsInk’s application,
About DocsInk
Medical care teams and clinicians love DocsInk. That’s because the app addresses administrative, billing, secure communication, data-sharing and clinical work-flow needs associated with collaborative-care models. Moreover, the company integrates standard HL7 and Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR). Subsequently, it streamlines processes, and includes:
mobile charge capture
secure messaging
integrated on-call calendar
referral/consult management
chronic care management
enhanced pharmacy services
automated admission and discharge notifications
transitional care management
and finally, real-time reporting with dashboard views.
DocsInk’s mobile application is available for download in iTunes and Google Play. Additionally, you can learn more about DocsInk or schedule a demo at www.docsink.com.
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