Now is also a good time to review the clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction scores for telehealth services. If there are any concerns, take action to modify practices so you can improve your metrics.
Finally, as the post-PHE telehealth landscape comes into focus, determine whether additional opportunities exist to expand your business via telehealth.
The PHE is a federal declaration, which means state laws still must be considered when reviewing your telehealth program. As each state has unique telehealth regulatory frameworks, it will be important for clinicians to review the regulations in each state they provide services in. To ensure state compliance, be sure to review the requirements surrounding licensure, informed consent, standards of care, prescriptions and reimbursement.
While no one in the healthcare industry would have chosen the COVID-19 pandemic as the route through which telehealth gained serious traction, clinicians and patients alike have found numerous advantages to the use of the technologies. As the world tilts steadily back toward more familiar times, clinicians have a chance to reflect on their experience with telehealth during the PHE, transition successfully out of the PHE exceptions and push forward toward a rewarding future with telehealth.
Emily A. Johnson, JD, is a nationally recognized attorney, author and speaker with McDonald Hopkins LLC. Email her at [email protected].
