Authors in The American Journal of Managed Care® Call for Embracing Telemedicine Amid “Uncontained Spread” of COVID-19

Two members of the law firm Jones Day say even healthcare providers who have not used telemedicine should plan for it as the novel coronavirus spreads, now that rapidly changing laws erase the red tape that has limited use.

CRANBURY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Writers in the April issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® call on healthcare providers to embrace telemedicine to address the “unique challenges” of the COVID-19 outbreak, which they say can prevent overcrowding in emergency departments and clinics and help contain disease spread.

“Incorporating Telemedicine as Part of COVID-19 Outbreak Response Systems,” from Jones Day attorneys Kimberly Lovett Rockwell, M.D., JD, and Alexis S. Gilroy, JD, outlines how state, federal and international telemedicine laws are evolving to accommodate telemedicine—both to allow public payers such as Medicare to cover it and to allow nonphysician providers to be compensated.

“Because of this mounting public urgency and currently uncontained spread, healthcare providers are already experiencing and must prepare for additional increased volumes of both sick and worried-well patients that could strain hospital care units and medical equipment supply chains,” the authors say.

Telemedicine, they write, is for everyone, from primary care to urgent care to specialty providers. “Even healthcare providers who have not yet adopted telemedicine capabilities should consider implementing narrowly designed systems to mitigate the expected increase in volumes of low-acuity patients seeking reassurance.”

For the full article, published online ahead of print click, here.

About The American Journal of Managed Care®

The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®) is a multimedia peer-reviewed, MEDLINE-indexed journal that keeps industry leaders on the forefront of health policy by sharing digital research relevant to industry decision-makers. Other brands in the AJMC® family include The American Journal of Accountable Care®, Evidence-Based Oncology™ and Evidence-Based Diabetes Management™. These comprehensive multimedia brands bring together stakeholder views from payers, providers, policymakers and other industry leaders in managed care. AJMC® is a brand of MJH Life Sciences™, the largest privately held, independent, full-service medical media company in North America, dedicated to delivering trusted health care news across multiple channels.