Telemedicine Poised for Rapid Growth With Increasing Number of COVID-19 Infections, Elimination of Medicare Payment Barriers
March 18, 2020 (Dallas, TX) — With the federal government’s loosening of restrictions on Medicare payment for virtual health care services, the use of telemedicine is poised to grow exponentially across the country. At the same time, the increasing number of people infected with COVID-19 and resulting hospitalizations will increase demand for physician specialists and subspecialists who can deliver high acuity care through telemedicine.
“Access Physicians has long believed in the power of telemedicine to deliver health care of clinical excellence to more patients who need it,” said Chris Gallagher, MD, FACC, CEO, Access Physicians. “Adoption and use of and comfort with telemedicine have been on a growth trajectory for several years. The current public health crisis will only accelerate these trends. We are pleased that telemedicine is being viewed as a vital resource in these uncertain times to bring essential health care to more people.”
Access Physicians is a well-established, physician-led telemedicine pioneer providing on-demand consultation services to over 175 hospitals. To date, the company has provided care to more than 1.5 million high acuity patients with complex conditions and needs, such as respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation, septic shock, vasopressors, advanced heart failure, and cardiogenic shock.
With nearly a decade of experience, the company’s core service lines include infectious disease, pulmonary and critical care, cardiology and cardiac arrest management (“Code Blue”), neurology, and maternal fetal medicine.
Access Physicians engages only board-certified or board-eligible and peer-referenced physicians to ensure clinical excellence. The company also trains all its physicians in providing care and consultation through virtual means. Its “break through the screen” curriculum teaches physicians the importance of connecting emotionally and personally with patients, their families and caregivers, and other health professionals to minimize the physical barriers to interpersonal connection and maximize the integrity and effectiveness of the patient-physician relationship.
“We believe telemedicine is an art and a science that must be well executed, particularly when managing complex cases in times of uncertainty and vulnerability,” said Gallagher.
“Eliminating Medicare payment restrictions is a good first step,” added Saurin Patel, MD, chief medical officer, Access Physicians. “We also need to prioritize easing cross-state licensing requirements so that physicians licensed to practice in states not as hard hit as Washington, New York, and California can more quickly be of service and deploy their expertise to help more Americans.”