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Searching for a New Normal: How Expiration of the Federal Public Health Emergency Impacts Access to Health Care Services

Center for Health Insurance Reform

After more than three years, the federal COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) is set to expire on May 11, 2023. Once the PHE designation is lifted, a number of federal policies intended to help the U.S. health care system adapt to the pandemic will also expire.

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How we can avoid the 'telehealth cliff'

Healthcare IT News - Telehealth

It's become common knowledge, at this point, that the flexibilities enabled by the federal government at the start of the COVID-19 public health emergency prompted an atmospheric jump in telehealth use. " The uncertainty about when the public health emergency will lift creates "a lot of anxiety," said Hayes.

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Six Opportunities to Use the Law to Support Harm Reduction

Bill of Health

Far too often, the public health imperative of harm reduction is blocked by federal policy, state laws, and other structural barriers anchored in the “war on drugs” that reduce the effectiveness of harm reduction efforts. Student at Temple University’s Department of Geography.

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Report shows 'vast improvement' in state telehealth reimbursement policies

Healthcare IT News - Telehealth

"Health plans are offering more telemedicine and digital health coverage as part of a broader acceptance of virtual care; changes we believe will largely remain even after the Public Health Emergency ends," said Nathaniel Lacktman, partner and chair of the firm’s national telemedicine and digital health industry team, in a statement.

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Senator Tina Smith: 'We have to learn from our experiences' on telehealth

Healthcare IT News - Telehealth

A bipartisan group of senators on Thursday introduced legislation to inventory telehealth programs nationwide and evaluate ways to plan for public health emergencies using virtual care. "This bill examines what’s worked across the country so we can more effectively respond to future health emergencies."

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FCC and other awards helped enable permanent telehealth policy changes in Virginia

Healthcare IT News - Telehealth

In addition, as a federally designated Telehealth Resource Center, UVA Health also worked to provide expanded technical assistance to providers and health systems across the nine-state Mid-Atlantic Region. Following the public health emergency, primary care providers massively scaled the use of telemedicine.

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What will the next year look like for telehealth? 'Well above pre-pandemic levels'

Healthcare IT News - Telehealth

We expect there will be some ebbs and flows in the overall number of telehealth visits, driven by a combination of ongoing COVID-19 spikes, such as the recent Delta variant, changes in federal policies and waivers for reimbursement, and further integration of telehealth services into care models across service lines.

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