As the novel coronavirus outbreak continues, the federal government and commercial health insurers have taken significant steps to increase Americans’ access to treatment and testing. In the past week, the federal government and private insurers have issued a number of guidance documents expanding coverage and payment requirements in an effort to minimize the spread of the virus. As with any changes in coverage and reimbursement, healthcare providers offering telehealth services should
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Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Orion Health Launches Coronavirus Outbreak Monitoring Platform Globally
What You Need to Know: - Orion Health launches coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak monitoring platform to its existing and future customers globally at no cost. - Over time the monitoring platform will increasingly use artificial intelligence (AI) to allow providers to identify patients at risk of deterioration and optimize their care. This will allow resources to be allocated to those most in need. Orion Health has developed the first comprehensive coronavirus pandemic
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Maryland’s Doctors Urge State to Adopt Telehealth to Prevent Spread of Coronavirus
What You Need to Know: - The Maryland State Medical Society (MedChi), which represents 22,000 doctors, today urged the state of Maryland to help protect healthcare workers and others from the novel coronavirus by keeping sick people AWAY from doctors’ offices and instead assess and treat patients through virtual visits. - MedChi has provided doctors with telehealth capabilities enabled by DrFirst’s Backline care collaboration tool. Backline enables physicians to conduct
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How Health Plans Can Prepare Their Members for Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Any time there are fears of an outbreak, you can be sure of one thing: Purveyors of disinformation will take advantage of these fears by spreading false, often harmful messages. Coronavirus (COVID-19) is no different, and as what may become the first widespread U.S. public health crisis of the social media era, is likely to be more susceptible to disinformation and conspiracy theories than previous events. For example, some of the more notable falsehoods about COVID-19 include that
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Health Gorilla Launches EMR-Integrated Electronic Ordering for COVID-19 Testing for LabCorp and Quest
What You Need to Know: - Health Gorilla announces the launch of electronic ordering for COVID-19 testing for LabCorp and Quest that will allow thousands of providers, who currently rely on Health Gorilla to place lab orders, to seamlessly order COVID-19 tests for their patients. - Providers and developers can begin placing orders through API and web-based interface, expanding access to COVID-19 testing within their existing product/EMR workflow. Health Gorilla, a Sunnyvale,
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AMA to Fast Track New CPT Code for Novel Coronavirus Test
What You Need to Know: - AMA announces it will fast track CPT code development for a novel coronavirus (COVID-19) test to bolster a data-driven response to the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States. - The CPT Editorial Panel will manage the expedited process including the creation of a test description to accompany the code and the effective date of the code. - According to the CDC, there is a total of 647 confirmed cases of COVID-19 resulting in 25 deaths in the United
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CareFirst Will Cover Medically Necessary Diagnostic Tests for COVID-19
What You Need to Know: - CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield announces steps to expand access to coronavirus (COVID-19) care for its members - CareFirst will waive prior authorizations for diagnostic tests and for covered services that are medically necessary for any members that are diagnosed with COVID-19. CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst) announced it is taking action to ensure that its members seeking testing and treatment for coronavirus can swiftly access the right care in
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Rimidi Launches COVID-19 Screening App to Identify At-Risk Patients & Limit Exposure
What You Need to Know: - To limit the spread of COVID-19 in healthcare settings, Rimidi has developed a Coronavirus (COVID-19) screening application for health systems to identify at-risk patients and direct them to appropriate locations. - The EHR-integrated app is one of the first designed specifically to flag patients with possible Coronavirus symptoms, enabling health systems to mitigate the spread and optimize treatment. Rimidi, a cloud-based software platform, today announced
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Cloudbreak Health Launches Free Telehealth App to Fight Coronavirus
What You Need to Know: - Today, telemedicine leader Cloudbreak Health launched a free app with free service for hospitals to help fight the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. - Cloudbreak’s devices have already been used with suspected COVID-19 patients whose primary language was something other than English, including at the University of California at San Diego’s dedicated coronavirus clinic. Cloudbreak Health (“Cloudbreak”), unified telemedicine and video medical
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Coronavirus Forces Cancellation of 2020 HIMSS Conference: 6 Things to Know
What You Need to Know: - Amidst growing fears of exposure to the COVID-19 Coronavirus HIMSS announced the cancellation of the 2020 HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition, marking the first cancellation in 58 years. - The advisory panel recognized that industry understanding of the potential reach of the COVID-19 Coronavirus h has changed significantly in the last 24 hours. - Over the last week, COVID-19 Coronavirus has become a global topic of concern. Gov. Ron DeSantis
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