Telemedicine gains ground in treatment of injured workers
Skip to main content
MDHC_Logotype_white
Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • This Week's News
    • COVID-19
    • Providers
    • Insurance
    • Government
    • Finance
    • Technology
    • Safety & Quality
    • People
    • Regional News
    • Digital Edition
    • Profit up nearly 23% across U.S. community hospitals in 2019
      HHS freezes rule targeting community health centers' drug discounts
      Cerner names Erceg as new CFO
      metro_pavilion_i.jpg
      MetroHealth to launch new surgical residency program this summer
    • HCA launches joint venture to boost domestic PPE production
      Lilly: Drug can prevent COVID-19 illness in nursing homes
      Mobile labs take vaccine studies to diverse neighborhoods
      Biden to sign virus measures, requires mask use to travel
    • Medicare ACO participants fell in 2021
      Louisiana gets reports vaccine providers are discriminating
      'We know this is real': New clinics aid virus 'long-haulers'
      The Check Up: Trenda Ray
      The Check Up: Trenda Ray of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
    • UnitedHealthcare operating earnings fall by $2 billion in Q4
      CMS approves rule forcing insurers to ease prior authorization
      COVID-19 still a big uncertainty for insurers in 2021
      Health insurers' outlook boosted after Dems' Georgia win
    • HHS freezes rule targeting community health centers' drug discounts
      Biden signs executive orders to reverse, pause Trump-era rules
      CMS finalizes blood-based colon cancer screening coverage
      As virus surges, states reporting shortages of vaccine
    • Providers await new HHS coronavirus grant reporting deadline
      Operation Warp Speed Dr. Moncef Slaoui, Pfizer Group President Angela Hwang, Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel, CVS Health Executive Vice President Karen Lynch and McKesson CEO Brian Tyler participate in a panel discussion on the COVID-19 vaccine.
      Hospitals, drug companies strive to stand out virtually at JPM
      Intermountain, Trinity, Memorial Hermann behind $300M private equity fund
      Operation Warp Speed to bump up McKesson's stock price
    • A man in a room with servers.
      Momentum grows to outsource hospital tech functions in 2021
      5 things to know about Google's $2.1B Fitbit acquisition
      Providence bets on machine-learning, consolidating data centers
      Mental health treatment was most common telehealth service during COVID
    • Mobile labs take vaccine studies to diverse neighborhoods
      As virus surges, states reporting shortages of vaccine
      Sticking to Mediterranean diet is good for the brain
      Chance of COVID-19 triage care looms over Arizona hospitals
    • Cerner names Erceg as new CFO
      Elizabeth Richter will serve as acting CMS administrator
      Providence names new chief financial officer
      Wisconsin's top health official departing for federal job
    • Midwest
    • Northeast
    • South
    • West
  • Insights
    • ACA 10 Years After
    • Best Practices
    • InDepth Special Reports
    • Innovations
    • The Affordable Care Act after 10 years
    • New care model helps primary-care practices treat obesity
      doctor with patient
      COVID-19 treatment protocol developed in the field helps patients recover
      Rachel Wyatt
      Project to curb pressure injuries in hospitals shows promise
      Yale New Haven's COVID-19 nurse-staffing model has long-term benefits
    • Modern Healthcare InDepth: Breaking the bias that impedes better healthcare
      Videos: Healthcare industry executives describe their encounters with racism
      Michellene Davis
      Healthcare leadership lacks the racial diversity needed to reduce health disparities
      Dr. James Hildreth
      How medical education can help fight racism
      Quotes from rebadged employees
      Outsourcing IT, revenue cycle takes toll on internal culture
    • A woman with a wearable sensor talking to her provider.
      Wearable sensors help diagnose heart rhythm problems in West Virginia
      self service station
      COVID-19 pushes patient expectations toward self-service
      Targeting high-risk cancer patients with genetics
      A nurse holds up a phone with a message to a family member saying surgery has started.
      Texting, tablets help hospitals keep family updated on patient care
  • Transformation
    • Patients
    • Operations
    • Care Delivery
    • Payment
    • Highmark Health inks six-year cloud, tech deal with Google
      Study: 1 in 5 patients report discrimination when getting healthcare
      HHS proposes changing HIPAA privacy rules
      Android health records app launches at 230 health systems
    • California hospitals prepare ethical protocol to prioritize lifesaving care
      Amazon, JPMorgan Chase, Berkshire Hathaway disband Haven
      Digital pathways poised to reshape healthcare continuum in 2021
      Healthcare was the hardest hit by supply shortages across all U.S. industries
    • A woman with a wearable sensor talking to her provider.
      Wearable sensors help diagnose heart rhythm problems in West Virginia
      New care model helps primary-care practices treat obesity
      How hospitals are building on COVID-19 telehealth momentum
      Researchers: Hospital price variation exacerbates health inequities
    • MedPAC votes to boost hospital payments, freeze or cut other providers
      Most Next Gen ACOs achieved bonuses in 2019
      Congress recalibrates Medicare Physician Fee Schedule after lobbying
      CMS approves rule to encourage value-based drug pricing
  • Data/Lists
    • Rankings/Lists
    • Interactive Databases
    • Data Points
    • Health Systems Financials
      Executive Compensation
      Physician Compensation
  • Op-Ed
    • Bold Moves
    • Breaking Bias
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Vital Signs Blog
    • From the Editor
    • Wellstar CEO calls adapting for the pandemic her bold move
      Howard P. Kern
      Recognizing the value of telehealth in its infancy
      Dr. Stephen Markovich
      A bold move helped take him from family doctor to OhioHealth CEO
      Dr. Bruce Siegel
      Why taking a hospital not-for-profit was Dr. Bruce Siegel’s boldest move
    • Barry Ostrowsky
      Ending racism is a journey taken together; the starting point must be now
      Laura Lee Hall and Gary Puckrein
      Increased flu vaccination has never been more important for communities of color
      John Daniels Jr.
      Health equity: Making the journey from buzzword to reality
      Mark C. Clement and David Cook
      We all need to 'do something' to fight inequities and get healthcare right, for every patient, every time
    • Dr. Bruce Siegel
      By protecting the healthcare safety net, Biden can put us on the path to a stronger country
      Healing healthcare: some ideas for triage by the new Congress, administration
      Dr. Sachin H. Jain
      Medicare for All? The better route to universal coverage would be Medicare Advantage for All
      Connectivity: a social determinant of health that can exacerbate all the others
    • Letters: Eliminating bias in healthcare needs to be ‘deliberate and organic’
      Letters: Maybe dropping out of ACOs is a good thing for patients
      Letters: White House and Congress share blame for lack of national COVID strategy
      Letters: VA making strides to improve state veterans home inspections
    • Sponsored Content Provided By Optum
      How blockchain could ease frustration with the payment process
      Sponsored Content Provided By Optum
      Three steps to better data-sharing for payer and provider CIOs
      Sponsored Content Provided By Optum
      Reduce total cost of care: 6 reasons why providers and payers should tackle the challenge together
      Sponsored Content Provided By Optum
      Why CIOs went from back-office operators to mission-critical innovators
  • Awards
    • Award Programs
    • Nominate
    • Previous Award Programs
    • Other Award Programs
    • Best Places to Work in Healthcare Logo for Navigation
      Nominations Open - Best Places to Work in Healthcare
      Nominations Open - Health Care Hall of Fame
      Nominations Open - 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
    • 100 Most Influential People
    • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
    • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
    • Health Care Hall of Fame
    • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
    • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
    • Top 25 Innovators
    • Top 25 Minority Leaders
    • Top 25 Women Leaders
    • Excellence in Nursing Awards
    • Design Awards
    • Top 25 COOs in Healthcare
    • 100 Top Hospitals
    • ACHE Awards
  • Events
    • Conferences
    • Galas
    • Webinars
    • COVID-19 Event Tracker
    • Leadership Symposium
    • Healthcare Transformation Summit
    • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
    • Workplace of the Future Conference
    • Strategic Marketing Conference
    • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
    • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
    • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
    • Top 25 Minority Leaders Gala (2022)
    • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
  • Listen
    • Podcast - Next Up
    • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
    • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
    • Video Series - The Check Up
    • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
    • Carter Dredge
      Next Up Podcast: Ready, set, innovate! Innovation and disruption in healthcare
      Next Up Podcast: COVID-19, social determinants highlight health inequities — what next?
      Ceci Connolly
      Next Up Podcast: How to navigate the murky post-election waters
      Next Up Podcast: Saving Rural Health
    • An older man wearing a mask receiving a vaccine.
      Beyond the Byline: Verifying information on the chaotic COVID-19 vaccine rollout
      doctor burnout
      Beyond the Byline: How healthcare supply chain struggles contribute to employee burnout
      Beyond the Byline: Covering race and diversity in the healthcare industry
      Beyond the Byline: How telehealth utilization has impacted investor-owned company earnings
    • Leading intention promote diversity and inclusion
      Introducing Healthcare Insider Podcast
    • The Check Up: Chip Kahn
      The Check Up: Chip Kahn of the Federation of American Hospitals
      The Check Up: Trenda Ray
      The Check Up: Trenda Ray of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
      The Check Up: Dr. Kenneth Davis
      The Check Up: Dr. Kenneth Davis of Mount Sinai Health System
      The Check Up: Dr. Thomas McGinn
      The Check Up: Dr. Thomas McGinn of CommonSpirit Health
    • Video: Ivana Naeymi Rad of Intelligent Medical Objects
  • MORE +
    • Advertise
    • Media Kit
    • Newsletters
    • Jobs
    • People on the Move
    • Reprints & Licensing
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Insurance
July 07, 2014 01:00 AM

Telemedicine gains ground in treatment of injured workers

Stephanie Goldberg / Crain's Business Insurance
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print

    Telemedicine is gaining ground in treating injured workers, especially in rural areas, to speed their evaluation and possibly reduce the costs paid by employers.

    Telemedicine, which is defined in workers compensation as a remote, virtual interaction involving two or more parties in the claims process, has long involved telephone communications be-tween workers and pharmacy benefit managers, or treating physicians and specialists, experts said. It's evolved in recent years to include remote face-to-face interactions and the remote measuring of vital signs.

    The costs associated with treating workers in rural areas, in addition to more awareness about telemedicine and increased acceptance of technology, has led the industry to embrace the 40-year-old practice in new ways, said Jonathan Linkous, CEO of the American Telemedicine Association in Washington.

    Related Content

    Wiring in rural patients

    For example, a February Rand Corp. study that examined a telemedicine program and a July 2013 study by researchers at University of California Davis Children's Hospital found telemedicine improves the quality of healthcare for children in rural areas.

    In Nevada, a large number of workers in rural areas who lack easy access to medical providers and a request by the Nevada Hospital Association prompted the state Department of Business and Industry's Division of Industrial Relations to propose a rule that would require insurers and third-party administrators “to pay for telemedicine services under certain circumstances” and add it to the state's medical fee schedule

    While it was shelved last month, it may turn up as part of an overall revamp of Nevada's workers comp law next year.

    “In the state of Nevada, we have two primary urban population centers,” said Katherine Godwin, medical unit supervisor of the workers compensation section at the Nevada Division of Industrial Relations in Henderson. “Apart from that, the state is basically rural, so convenient access to medical care can be a challenge.”

    A large rural workforce also is driving Oklahoma to consider making more use of telemedicine in workers comp, said Robert Gilliland, a commissioner on the Oklahoma Workers' Compensation Commission.

    Costs can add up quickly when injured workers travel long distances to seek medical care for injuries, he said.

    For example, Nevada rules allow injured employees to be reimbursed for “out-of-pocket expenses for meals, lodging and actual mileage related to an authorized medical examination, reasonable and necessary medical treatment, vocational rehabilitation or vocational retraining which requires travel in excess of 20 miles round-trip to and from the injured employee's home to the location of such services.”

    Aside from workers comp, more employers in general are embracing telemedicine as the care and cost benefits associated with it become more evident, said Dr. Teresa Bartlett, Troy, Michigan-based senior vice president of medical quality and corporate medical director at Sedgwick Claims Management Services Inc.

    The benefits include keeping injured workers out of emergency rooms, reducing or eliminating wait times for workers who need to see specialists, and improving their return-to-work rates, she said.

    “A patient visiting his occupational healthcare provider who needs an evaluation from an orthopedist could have the consultation right on the spot, via a conference call during which results of diagnostic tests are projected onto a screen visible to the specialist,” Kimberly George, senior vice president and senior healthcare adviser at Sedgwick, wrote on the firm's blog.

    “Consider restaurants, for example, where burns are a fairly frequent occurrence,” Ms. George, wrote. “Using telehealth, a nurse at a remote location can evaluate the symptoms and determine whether the worker needs to be seen directly or can be discharged with instructions for home care. The technology is sophisticated enough to allow the provider to see deep into the hair follicles — much more advanced than, say, Skype or FaceTime,” and it complies with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, she wrote.

    In many cases, telemedicine exams take place at a worksite or a central location where “pieces of equipment that look something like an iPad” are set up in booths for privacy, Dr. Bartlett said. “You push a button, and there's a doctor that appears on the screen and they can see you.”

    Exams such as blood sugar levels, EKGs, pulmonary function and hearing tests can be performed and the information relayed to physicians in real time, she said.

    Many physicians are also fans, Dr. Bartlett said.

    “Physicians have told me they feel it's a higher quality healthcare experience because they're really focused on all aspects of the patient” even though the physician payment remains the same, Dr. Bartlett said.

    “It's just providing a convenience to a patient,” she said.

    Some medical providers could be hesitant to embrace telemedicine not only because it's different, but also because it has the ability to stimulate competition, Linkous said.

    “From the patient side, it's great because you can choose among a variety of different physicians, but from the physician side, they're a little afraid they might lose a patient or two,” he said.

    And more provider options could mean better prices for employers and insurers, experts said.

    This is one reason TPAs such as Sedgwick work with clients to implement the technology through companies, including Concentra Inc. or Kaiser Permanente, that make telemedicine accessible on worksites or at a number of central locations, Dr. Bartlett said.

    “It's still relatively new to the employers out there,” she said, “even though there's a lot of buzz about it and it's being used widely in healthcare. It's still something that's being carefully examined in the workers comp space.”

    Linkous said it helps to think of telemedicine as a tool rather than a specialty.

    “We're not talking about telemedicine, we're talking about medicine,” Linkous said. “It's just another tool you can use in providing healthcare services. ... It may take a little training to use it, but it takes training to listen to a heart sound on a stethoscope, too.”

    "Telemedicine gains ground in treatment of injured workers" originally appeared on the website Crain's Business Insurance.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Send us a letter

    Have an opinion about this story? Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor, and we may publish it in print.

    Recommended for You
     UnitedHealthcare operating earnings fall by $2 billion in Q4
    UnitedHealthcare operating earnings fall by $2 billion in Q4
    CMS approves rule forcing insurers to ease prior authorization
    CMS approves rule forcing insurers to ease prior authorization
    Sponsored Content
    Get Free Newsletters

    Sign up for free enewsletters and alerts to receive breaking news and in-depth coverage of healthcare events and trends, as they happen, right to your inbox.

    Subscribe Today

    The weekly magazine, websites, research and databases provide a powerful and all-encompassing industry presence. We help you make informed business decisions and lead your organizations to success.

    Subscribe
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS
    • Instagram

    Stay Connected

    Join the conversation with Modern Healthcare through our social media pages

    MDHC_Logotype_white
    Contact Us

    (877) 812-1581

    Email us

     

    Resources
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with Us
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Editorial Dept
    • Submission Guidelines
    • Code of Ethics
    • Awards
    • About Us
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Modern Healthcare
    Copyright © 1996-2021. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • This Week's News
      • COVID-19
      • Providers
      • Insurance
      • Government
      • Finance
      • Technology
      • Safety & Quality
      • People
      • Regional News
        • Midwest
        • Northeast
        • South
        • West
      • Digital Edition
    • Insights
      • ACA 10 Years After
      • Best Practices
      • InDepth Special Reports
      • Innovations
    • Transformation
      • Patients
      • Operations
      • Care Delivery
      • Payment
    • Data/Lists
      • Rankings/Lists
      • Interactive Databases
      • Data Points
    • Op-Ed
      • Bold Moves
      • Breaking Bias
      • Commentaries
      • Letters
      • Vital Signs Blog
      • From the Editor
    • Awards
      • Award Programs
        • 100 Most Influential People
        • 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives
        • Best Places to Work in Healthcare
        • Health Care Hall of Fame
        • Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards
        • Top 25 Emerging Leaders
        • Top 25 Innovators
        • Top 25 Minority Leaders
        • Top 25 Women Leaders
      • Nominate
      • Previous Award Programs
        • Excellence in Nursing Awards
        • Design Awards
        • Top 25 COOs in Healthcare
      • Other Award Programs
        • 100 Top Hospitals
        • ACHE Awards
    • Events
      • Conferences
        • Leadership Symposium
        • Healthcare Transformation Summit
        • Women Leaders in Healthcare Conference
        • Workplace of the Future Conference
        • Strategic Marketing Conference
        • Social Determinants of Health Symposium
      • Galas
        • Best Places to Work Awards Gala
        • Health Care Hall of Fame Gala
        • Top 25 Minority Leaders Gala (2022)
        • Top 25 Women Leaders Gala
      • Webinars
      • COVID-19 Event Tracker
    • Listen
      • Podcast - Next Up
      • Podcast - Beyond the Byline
      • Sponsored Podcast - Healthcare Insider
      • Video Series - The Check Up
      • Sponsored Video Series - One on One
    • MORE +
      • Advertise
      • Media Kit
      • Newsletters
      • Jobs
      • People on the Move
      • Reprints & Licensing