Years ago, I worked in a long-term acute care hospital. We employed social workers whose job was discharge planning. They charted out where to move patients once they had been treated by our hospital. This process was started before patients were admitted. Patients with no clear path to move elsewhere were not admitted. Our average length of stay was in excess of 30 days. At that time our type of facility was PPS exempt and cost reimbursed based on a TEFRA limit (see p. 71 for more information).
Category: Telemedicine
Biden Not Anxious to Repeal Trump Health Reforms
Donald Trump presided over radical deregulation of our health care system by presidential execution order. Fears that Joe Biden would completely reverse course are proving premature.
Secretary Xavier Becerra wants Congress to take legislative action to permanently expand access to telehealth by enabling HHS to reach rural communities with quality broadband access, working with states to expand interstate telehealth and including behavioral health provisions within telehealth legislation.
InsideHealthPolicy (gated)
Tuesday Links
- By 2021, telehealth use was 38 times pre-pandemic levels. It reduced the risk of hospital readmissions by 76% — with patient satisfaction scores topping 90%.
- FDA deregulation of medical devices increases quality, spurs innovation and reduces prices.
- Surprising finding: European markets have gotten freer while American markets have gotten less free.
- Future of the Internet: A study finds that algorithmically targeted advertising performed worse than ads selected at random.
- After election day, marijuana could be legal in five more states.
Monday Links
- Is watching Fox News bad for your health? (Covid vaccination rates are lower)
- Scott Sumner: the 21st century is suffering from a spate of nationalism.
- Opponents of telemedicine strike back: “Over the past year, nearly 40 states and Washington, D.C., have ended emergency declarations that made it easier for doctors to use video visits to see patients in another state.”
- Study: Too little sleep makes people stingy.