What Primary Care Physicians Need to Implement Telemedicine

As the pandemic took hold this spring and summer, and social distancing measures were put in place, many healthcare providers found themselves dealing with the reality of telehealth or virtual visits for the first time.

A research team from the Department of Public Health Policy and Management at New York University’s School of Global Public Health, partnered with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Bureau of Equitable Health Systems, published a paper in Health Affairs recently after surveying hundreds of local primary care providers between April and July regarding changes to their practices due to COVID-19.

Those surveyed responded with five areas for policymakers to improve:

• Harmonize the reimbursement criteria
• Create billing codes or payment models for the additional work required to offer telehealth
• Provide coverage for at-home monitoring devices
• Incentivize the development of and access to patient- and provider-centered technology
• Review, revise, and communicate telehealth malpractice policies

The paper’s authors noted that uncertainty about reimbursements (including whether or not virtual visits had even been reimbursed), and providers’ setup costs for a telehealth platform, were chief among the concerns raised by respondents.

Vosita Healthcare has been working with physicians to provide an easy-to-use, easy-to-implement platform for virtual visits during the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, contact us at info@vosita.com or 212-966-6110 today!