According to recent studies, telehealth visits were up an enormous 154% at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 when compared to the same period from 2019. Not only that, but 46% of patients say that they now welcome the use of telehealth for some visits, compared to just 11% a year prior.
At the beginning of the pandemic, the Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (OCR) eased HIPAA-compliance restrictions on many of the communication tools that providers use for virtual visits. Rather than using more secure platforms specifically designed for this purpose, they were allowed to use tools like Apple’s FaceTime and Skype – technologies that allowed them to reach patients where they live via audio or video communication.
But with vaccines rolling out across the country, it's expected that the OCR will eliminate those waivers in the not-too-distant future, which could impact the continued availability of telehealth solutions for the people who need them. This is why it's important for providers to be proactive about this type of care in the short-term because at this point, there's no certainty as to what the future may hold.
The Situation With Telehealth: An Overview
If reinstated, one restriction that would create quite a bit of uncertainty has to do with the idea that a requirement for some type of state-specific licensure will soon be reinstated. Previously, a number of states joined interstate compacts that were expressly designed to make it more efficient for providers to practice in different regions.
On the one hand, OCR wants to make sure that people are being cared for by providers that have been carefully vetted, which is positive. But for providers in some big cities across the country, this becomes incredibly difficult as some of their current patients may live over state lines in nearby places.
At a minimum, providers must pay close attention to what their states are doing or thinking. In some instances, it may be necessary to prioritize getting licensure in other states if needed. Even if a provider doesn't have a physical place of business, they still need to be paying attention to where they are providing their services and take appropriate steps to avoid disruption when these waivers are finally eliminated. This is one of those situations where being prepared can create an enormous amount of difficulty, which is why you need to make sure you have the most complete information to work from as it becomes available.
