SCCM Resource Library-Potential Barriers to Billing in Telemedicine by Critical Care Medicine APPs

Pdf Summary

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted global health, leading to over 5 million deaths and intensely straining healthcare systems. Despite the negative ramifications, the crisis drove the rapid adoption of telemedicine as a crucial facet of healthcare delivery, marked by a 63-fold increase in telehealth services in 2020. A study discussed in "CriticalConnections" highlighted an APP-led telemonitoring initiative for noncritically ill COVID-19 patients, aimed at forestalling clinical deterioration and ensuring prompt ICU transfers through early detection of patient decompensation.<br /><br />The study examined stakeholders' satisfaction, billing practices, and the barriers faced by Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) in implementing telemedicine (TM) services. The initiative saw mixed success in billing, with only 2.25% compliance from APPs due to barriers like inadequate time for billing due to patient load, unclear billing procedures, and occasional forgetfulness. These findings underscored significant educational gaps and potential administrative weaknesses that hinder TM service billing.<br /><br />The study's implications stress the importance of integrating comprehensive billing training for APPs during onboarding, regular updates on billing practices from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and enhanced collaboration between billing departments and APPs. Additionally, incorporating billing prompts in electronic medical records may help improve accuracy. However, the study's findings are limited by low response rates and the use of unvalidated survey tools, which might restrict their generalizability.<br /><br />Conclusively, effective telemedicine application promises improvements in patient outcomes, potentially reducing hospital stays and related infections, while boosting hospital revenues. Still, healthcare administrators should be vigilant about billing barriers to foster sustainable telemedicine service expansion. Beyond COVID-19, strategic TM service implementation could enhance healthcare efficiency and financial viability across institutions.

Asset Subtitle

Administration, Professional Development and Education, 2023, 0:05:12

Asset Caption

"This article was first published in the Winter 2023 issue of Critical Connections.

In response to an unprecedented global challenge to human health and healthcare systems, telehealth became a pivotal component of healthcare delivery. Telehealth encompasses the use of remote technologies to provide long-distance healthcare services and to monitor patients. A recent study identified potential billing barriers that could impact the sustainable implementation of telemedicine services.

Critical Connections, the critical care industry's only magazine, provides information on cutting-edge topics in critical care useful to the entire multiprofessional team."

Meta Tag

Content Type Article

Knowledge Area Administration

Knowledge Area Professional Development and Education

Knowledge Level Intermediate

Knowledge Level Advanced

Learning Pathway Billing and Documentation

Membership Level Associate

Membership Level Professional

Membership Level Select

Tag Economics

Tag Telemedicine eICU

Year 2023

Keywords

Billing and Documentation

COVID-19

telemedicine

telehealth

healthcare systems

Advanced Practice Providers

billing practices

patient outcomes

telemonitoring

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

healthcare efficiency

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