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Health systems pause Medicare telehealth visits during government shutdown + more · Becker’s Healthcare Digital Health + Health IT

• 0:00
  This is Naomi Diaz with the Becker's Digital
• 0:02
  Health podcast. Here's your daily industry news briefing
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  for today, October 8.
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  First, 10 health systems are teaming up to
• 0:10
  explore strategy, ethics, governance, and scaling of iGentic
• 0:14
  AI at their organizations.
• 0:16
  The first cohort of the collaborative organized by
• 0:18
  digital transformation company Avia
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  will focus on using AI agents for nursing
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  clinical support, customer service, and contact centers, as
• 0:27
  well as patient experience according to an October
• 0:29
  8 news release.
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  Some of the 10 health systems include Bon
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  Secours, Mercy Health, Boston Children's Hospital, Children's Wisconsin,
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  MedStar Health, Motif Cancer Center, and more.
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  Second,
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  some health systems have started pausing telehealth visits
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  for Medicare beneficiaries as the government shutdown continues.
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  Pandemic era telehealth flexibilities
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  expired October 1 with the federal government stoppage,
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  cutting off CMS reimbursement for many virtual visits.
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  While many health systems are still waiting for
• 1:00
  a resolution between Congress and president Donald Trump,
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  some organizations have begun to suspend telehealth access
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  for Medicare and Medicaid patients.
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  The American Telemedicine Association
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  estimates that about 30% of hospitals and health
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  systems have halted their Medicare telehealth offerings amid
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  the shutdown.
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  Quote, Providence proactively prepared for telehealth services to
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  return to pre pandemic guidelines,
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  which limited the type of telehealth services
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  that quantify for reimbursement,
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  including restrictions for audio only visits, types of
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  service, and sites of service,
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  a spokesperson for the 51 hospital system based
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  in Renton, Washington told Becker's.
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  Quote, due to this change, some Medicare patients
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  are being asked to come in for appointments
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  that were originally scheduled as telehealth to ensure
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  their care is covered, end quote.
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  NYU lingo and health posted a notice on
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  its website stating, quote, due to the federal
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  government shutdown,
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  Medicare and Medicaid patients are unable to schedule
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  new telehealth and video visits.
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  If you already have a visit scheduled, it
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  will continue as planned. If not, contact your
• 2:05
  doctor's office to schedule an in person appointment,
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  end quote.
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  San Diego based Scripps Health has also rescheduled
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  more than 400 Medicare telehealth appointments as in
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  person visits since October 1, while another 600
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  plus have remained virtual because they're part of
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  the health system's ACO,
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  the San Diego Union Tribune reported.
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  Shane Tillman, vice president and chief information and
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  digital officer of Scripps Health, emailed to the
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  newspaper, quote,
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  some Medicare patients no longer eligible for a
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  telehealth visit elect to keep their telehealth appointment
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  with the knowledge Medicare is not currently covering
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  the visit, and they may be financially responsible,
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  end quote.
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  Saint Elizabeth Healthcare is also working to move
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  Medicare telehealth patients to in person visits and
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  telling those who wish to keep their appointments
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  virtual that they may be billed,
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  WCPO reported.
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  A spokesperson for New York City based NYC
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  Health Plus Hospital, the nation's largest
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  health system, said it is, quote, continuing telehealth
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  appointments as usual for all patients, including those
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  on Medicaid
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  and Medicare.
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  Meanwhile, mass general Brigham and Sanford Health, they
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  also said they are maintaining telehealth access as
• 3:15
  well.
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  Some health systems say they're still assessing the
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  situation.
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  A Cleveland Clinic spokesperson told Becker's, quote, our
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  goal is to minimize interruptions to the care
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  our patients are receiving.
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  We are continuing to monitor this and are
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  committed to the delivery of health care in
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  compliance with regulatory
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  guidelines, end quote.
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  At the same time, others are anticipate
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  anticipating payback from CMS if and when the
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  shutdown ends.
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  A spokesperson
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  for Mercy told Becker's, quote, we're hopeful our
• 3:47
  government leaders will come to a solution quickly
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  to protect the availability of telehealth care, which
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  has served as a lifeline for patients in
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  recent years, particularly those in parts of our
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  country where access to certain health care services
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  is not readily available.
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  Mercy remains committed to providing telehealth to our
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  patients and hopes to receive reimbursement retroactively
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  when the government reopens, end quote.
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  If you would like the latest health IT
• 4:11
  and digital health industry news delivered to your
• 4:14
  inbox every morning, subscribe to the Becker's CIO
• 4:17
  and Health IT Review enewsletter through our website
• 4:19
  at ww.beckershospitalreview.com.